Posted: 6/30/2008 4:40:42 PM EDT
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Hi Gang, Allow me to explain my situation, and please give me some comments. Obviously I'm not seeking legal advice, but I could use some opinions. * We moved to Michigan in 1999 from Iowa - first to West MI, and now over on the East side in Oakland County. * My gun collection came with me, all rifles except two pistols. * Pistols were purchased legally in Iowa using my IA purchase permit approximately 1994-1996 time frame. I had pretty much lost interest in firearms in general for much of the time I've been in Michigan, however I recently picked up the interest again. In looking to make my first purchase in Michigan, and in speaking with a co-worker I learned about the handgun registration / safety inspection that Michigan has. Now certainly the wise thing to do would have been to check all the laws before I moved into the state, but quite honestly it never really occurred to me that MI had this. From what I knew it always seemed like a pretty gun-friendly state. This was my mistake, and now I'm trying to figure out how to correct it. What I want to do now is figure out the process for getting these two pistols registered, inspected, and legit with the state. Obviously, they've already been legally purchased out of state a long time ago. I do not have any of the original purchase receipts anymore either. In reading the state laws, all I can find is that new residents should get their handguns "inspected" upon moving into the state. Obviously, I've lived and paid taxes here for the last 9 years so I'm no longer "just moving in". My initial thoughts on what to do after researching what I can find online and in talking with other gun owners here would be to do the following: * Go to the local sheriff's office and explain to them that I moved into Michigan from out of state some time ago, was unaware of the safety inspection requirement, and I have two pistols that have not been safety inspected. * Take the safety test and get purchase permits for both pistols. * Bring them back within the 10 days to be safety inspected and have the necessary paperwork produced. All I can do is be honest and plead ignorance on it, because I really didn't know about this requirement until I started researching the purchase of another pistol. Has anybody else ever run into a similar situation, or know of someone who has? How have people dealt with anything like this? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated -- I really want to get this squared away so that everything is legit! - Jon |
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Just tell them that you owned the pistols legally before you moved to Michigan and just recently brought them into the state, and now you want to register them. I registered 3 this way with no hassle, took a few minutes for the paperwork. I am in Northern Michigan, so the sheriff up here is pretty relaxed when it comes to registration. - I took the pistols in with me the first time and did it all in one visit. |
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When I moved here from Florida, I went to the County office, told them I had a handgun that I needed "Inspected". They did whatever they do behind the desk, asked me to sign the cards and Thank you very much, have a nice day. No hassle's or heard aches involved. They never asked when I moved into the state or when the guns came into the state. They way I look at it, If they don't ask me any questions I won't volunteer any information to them. |
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When I moved here, all of my handguns were "confiscated" by the local PD when I attempted to register them. They insisted that this was mandatory to determine whether or not the guns were stolen using the FBI's trace. They took the guns (not the cases) and piled them on a desk in an unlocked office and did not offer a property receipt. They had custody of my guns for a few days. It's unfortunate but your locality will determine how you are treated and how it is handled. |
