I recently bought a Cetme from a man who inherited a LOT of guns from his (now deceased) brother in law.  He had a neat little .22 derringer as well.  He took my name and wanted my social security number.  I said to heck with that and gave him my drivers license number instead.   I was interested in the derringer but didn't buy it because of pistol purchasing restrictions.  I am a MN resident going to school in MI.  I know I can buy long guns (as I have bought about 4 in the past 4 months).  Can I buy a pistol from a private party however?  I know I cannot buy one from a dealer.  He mentioned he was in the IL state police and moved up here when he retired.  Now I assume he knew the laws while he lived in IL but I wasn't sure if I could purchase a pistol from him.  What's the deal?  Can I buy it and if so what are the procedures?  Hopefully this wasn't too long winded.

Well, the deal is... you can't buy any gun from a private party across state lines unless you intend to live in that state.  From the way I've interpereted it, the ATF has ruled that it's ok for someone who has two homes to buy in either state, so I would think of where I go to school as my second home.

Unfortunately, Michigan law sucks ass and there's a catch: you'll need a Michigan drivers license to get the "pistol" purchase permit bullshit.  You have to go to the police station of the city/town of your (MI) drivers license home address to get the purchase permit bullshit.  Then, you have to take it to the person you're buying the "pistol" from, and bring the "pistol" back to the police station (within 10 days) for a "safety inspection".

Now, as for the guy telling you he needs your SS#, he's an asshole.  That's a load of crap.  You just give him the permit and he fills out half of it, and the gun is sold.

*Note: I say "pistol" because in Michigan, a rifle is called a "pistol" if it's under 30" in length (more bullshit laws).

MI seems like it's a bit of a hassle here as far as gun restrictions go.  No AK folders, SBR's, suppressors...oh well.  Only here for another year.

Lucky bastard!    I'm guarenteed for another four years minimum, arg!

You can have an AK folder... it's just a "pistol" in Michigan.

Can I build a "pistol" in MI?  I have been wanting an underfolder but am holding off until I get out of school.  That way I won't have to worry about parting with it.