Yes, bump stocks are legal in Michigan as of 2026. No federal law prohibits them after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ATF’s ban in June 2024, and Michigan has no state-level ban on the books. A bill to outlaw them has been reintroduced in the Michigan Legislature for the 2025–2026 session, but it has not been enacted. Until that changes, you can legally buy, possess, and sell a bump stock in Michigan.
Why Federal Law No Longer Bans Them
After the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the ATF issued a final rule in December 2018 reclassifying bump stocks as “machineguns” under the National Firearms Act. The agency argued that bump stocks let a rifle fire more than one shot “by a single function of the trigger,” which is the statutory definition of a machinegun under 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b).1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5845 – Definitions The rule required owners to destroy their bump stocks or surrender them to the ATF.
On June 14, 2024, the Supreme Court reversed that classification in a 6–3 decision. In Garland v. Cargill, the Court held that a semi-automatic rifle equipped with a bump stock is not a machinegun because it cannot fire more than one shot by a single function of the trigger, and even if it could, it would not do so “automatically.”2Supreme Court of the United States. Garland v. Cargill, No. 22-976 The Court concluded that the ATF had exceeded its statutory authority.
The ATF’s own website now confirms that “non-mechanical bump stocks are no longer prohibited as a machine gun under federal law,” while cautioning that some state and local laws still restrict them.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bump Stocks No federal legislation reinstating the ban has been enacted.
Why Michigan’s Existing Gun Laws Don’t Cover Bump Stocks
Michigan doesn’t have a standalone bump stock ban, so the question is whether existing state firearms laws reach them. Two statutes come close but don’t.
MCL 750.224 makes it a felony to manufacture, sell, or possess a “machine gun or firearm that shoots or is designed to shoot automatically more than 1 shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.” A violation carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.224 – Weapons; Manufacture, Sale, or Possession as Felony MCL 750.224e separately prohibits possessing, selling, or manufacturing a device designed or intended to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.224e – Conversion of Semiautomatic Firearm to Fully Automatic Firearm
Neither statute catches a bump stock. The Supreme Court’s reasoning in Garland v. Cargill found that a bump-stock-equipped rifle still fires one shot per trigger function, so it does not meet the “single function of the trigger” language that Michigan’s machine gun statute shares with the federal definition.2Supreme Court of the United States. Garland v. Cargill, No. 22-976 And because a bump stock doesn’t convert a semi-automatic rifle into a fully automatic one in any mechanical sense, the conversion-device ban doesn’t apply either.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.224e – Conversion of Semiautomatic Firearm to Fully Automatic Firearm
The Pending Michigan Bill That Could Change This
Lawmakers have tried to close that gap. In the 2023–2024 session, State Senator Dayna Polehanki introduced Senate Bill 942 to make it a felony to manufacture, sell, or possess a bump stock in Michigan. That bill passed the Michigan Senate but stalled in the House Committee on Government Operations and died at the end of the session.6Michigan Legislature. Senate Fiscal Agency Bill Analysis – SB 224
It was reintroduced for the 2025–2026 session as Senate Bill 224. The proposed language would amend Michigan’s Penal Code to specifically define bump stocks and add them to the list of prohibited weapons. If SB 224 passes both chambers and is signed by the governor, possession alone would become a felony. As of mid-2026, the bill has not been enacted.
Buying One in Michigan
Because bump stocks are classified as firearm accessories rather than firearms, federal law does not require a background check, an FFL dealer, or any paperwork to buy one. You can purchase a bump stock online or at a gun store the way you’d buy a scope or a grip. No federal registration requirement applies.
Michigan imposes no state-level purchase restrictions, licensing, or registration either. There is no state-mandated age requirement beyond whatever a retailer chooses to enforce on its own. If you buy one today, keep an eye on SB 224: a bill that becomes law would turn a legal accessory in your safe into a felony overnight.
If You Surrendered One Under the Old Federal Ban
Many owners turned in their bump stocks to the ATF between 2019 and 2024 to comply with the now-overturned federal rule. After Garland v. Cargill, the ATF mailed notices in August 2024 offering to return those devices. The notice gave owners 90 days to request a return, and unclaimed bump stocks after that period could be treated as abandoned property. If you missed that window, contacting your local ATF field office is worth a try, though the agency is not obligated to hold the device indefinitely.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bump Stocks
Traveling Out of State With a Bump Stock
Legal in Michigan does not mean legal everywhere. Roughly 18 states have banned bump stocks, and the ATF advises owners that “certain state and local laws still prohibit the use, possession and/or transfer of non-mechanical bump stocks.”3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bump Stocks If you plan to cross state lines, verify the law in every state you’ll pass through. Carrying a legal Michigan accessory into a state like Illinois, New York, or California could result in felony charges.