Short-Barreled Firearms and Silencers – Aligning Michigan Law
Our government has a duty to protect our God-given, constitutionally recognized rights, especially the Second Amendment. Michigan laws should not punish people for owning items that are otherwise lawful. That’s why I introduced Senate Bills 1150 and 1151 to eliminate outdated sections of law that criminalize owning certain firearms and accessories, even when federal law would otherwise permit them.
In 2025, Congress zeroed out the federal tax for individuals registering silencers and certain types of firearms. In August 2026, a federal court found that because Congress eliminated the tax, requiring registration and a permit for these items is unconstitutional and exceeds congressional authority.
The catch? Michigan law bans these same firearms and accessories without first getting permission from the federal government. Michiganders who purchase these items could open themselves up to serious legal liabilities — up to a five-year felony and a $2,500 fine — unless the owner properly registers those items with the federal government. Michigan law even requires owners of certain firearms to carry a copy of their federal registration and provide it to a law enforcement officer upon request. If those federal requirements are no longer enforceable, the state’s safe harbor could become a trap.
Eliminating these outdated, anti-Second Amendment laws would put Michigan on equal footing with the majority of states that either leave these regulations up to the federal government or at least align their state law with federal law. Relevant federal requirements like background checks would still apply before purchase. If Washington has stopped treating these items as a special taxable class, and a federal court has found these federal regulations unconstitutional, Lansing should stop treating ordinary ownership as a crime.
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