Are Michigan Police Departments Violating One Of Your Rights Granted By PA 381 of 2000?

As a firearms safety expert, I field a lot of questions about gun safety, personal protection, and Michigan's Concealed Pistol License (CPL) law. Accordingly, some inquiries require me to do some research before I can give a definitive answer.

Recently while doing some research, I came across two Michigan police department web sites that had information contained therein which is in violation of Michigan PA 381 of 2000. If you recall, one of my earlier articles enumerated several rights that are granted to Michigan CPL applicants.

Specifically, Section 5 (1) of Michigan's CPL law states, "County sheriffs, local police agencies, and county clerks shall provide concealed pistol application kits during normal business hours and free of charge to individuals who wish to apply for licenses to carry concealed pistols."

As of today, at least two Michigan police departments are apparently illegally charging a fee for CPL Application Kits: Flint Police Department and Pontiac Police Department.

I have not contacted these two agencies about the aforementioned info on their internet sites. As a public service, I am notifying you that being charged a fee for a Michigan Concealed Pistol License Application Kit, however small, is in violation of state law. Thus, you should refuse to pay the fee and demand to be given a kit free of charge. If they refuse, file a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General's Web Site.

Hopefully, this matter is a simple misunderstanding of what the CPL statute expressly forbids. This matter is especially troubling, given the high rates of violent crime being committed in Pontiac and Flint during these troubling times.