How to Get a Stun Gun License in Michigan: CPL Training and Rules

Michigan does not issue a stun gun license, because civilian stun gun possession is a felony in the state with no permit that cures it. What Michigan does allow is carrying a Taser, and to do that legally you need a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) plus device-specific training provided by the dealer at the time of sale. If you are researching a “stun gun license” in Michigan, the CPL is the license you are actually looking for, and the device you can lawfully carry is a Taser rather than a contact stun gun.

Why the Device You Buy Matters

MCL 750.224a makes it illegal to sell, offer for sale, or possess any portable device that directs an electrical current designed to incapacitate, injure, or kill.¹ A traditional stun gun, which delivers a shock through direct contact, falls squarely under that ban. No license changes that.

The statute carves out one exception: devices that use “electro-muscular disruption technology” and contain a tracking system that disperses coded material when fired, allowing the manufacturer to trace the darts back to the original purchaser.² In practice, that limits the exception to brand-name Taser products. If a device lacks the tracking system, it is treated as a prohibited stun gun regardless of how it is marketed.

Getting this wrong is expensive. Illegal possession, or carrying an otherwise lawful Taser without meeting the state’s requirements, is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.³

Who Qualifies for a CPL

Because carrying a Taser requires a CPL, you have to meet the same eligibility standards as anyone applying to carry a concealed handgun. MCL 28.425b sets the requirements.⁴ You must be at least 21 years old and a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. You must also have been a Michigan resident for at least six months. Active-duty military stationed in the state and new residents holding a valid concealed carry license from another state may qualify for a residency waiver.

The disqualifiers are extensive. Pending felony charges or a felony conviction rules you out. So does a personal protection order against you, a dishonorable military discharge, a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity finding, or commitment to a mental health facility.⁴

Certain misdemeanor convictions trigger an eight-year disqualification. Those include assault, aggravated assault, second-offense drunk driving, reckless driving, displaying sexually explicit material to a minor, and second-offense operating a vessel or off-road vehicle while intoxicated, among others.⁴ The eight years run from the date of your application, not from the date of conviction. Timing matters if you are close to the line.

Pistol Safety Training

Every CPL applicant must complete a certified pistol safety course before applying. The certificate is valid for five years from the date of completion, so you have some flexibility on when you submit the application. The program must be certified by the state or a recognized national or state firearms training organization and consist of at least eight hours of instruction.⁵

Five hours cover classroom topics: safe storage and handling (with an emphasis on child safety), ammunition basics, shooting fundamentals and positions, techniques for avoiding criminal attacks, and an overview of Michigan’s concealed carry laws. The legal portion, covering civil liability and the use of deadly force, must be taught by an attorney or someone specifically trained in the use of deadly force.⁵

The remaining three hours are on a firing range, and you must fire at least 30 rounds. When the course ends, the instructor issues a certificate of completion. You will need it for your application.⁵

Applying for the CPL

You can download the application from the Michigan State Police website or pick one up at your county clerk’s office.⁶ Submit the completed form, your original pistol safety training certificate, and a valid photo ID to the clerk’s office in the county where you live.

The application fee is $100 payable to the county clerk. A separate fingerprinting fee, typically around $15, goes to the fingerprinting agency.⁶ After you submit, the clerk’s office will direct you to a designated location for fingerprinting. Those prints go to the Michigan State Police for a background check.

The county clerk has 45 days from the date your classifiable fingerprints are taken to either issue your license or send you a written notice of disqualification. If neither happens in that window, the receipt you received at fingerprinting works as a temporary CPL when carried with your Michigan driver’s license or state ID.⁴ That temporary authorization is good until the clerk issues your actual license or a formal denial.

Training at the Point of Sale

Holding a CPL is only half the requirement. MCL 750.224a(5) obligates the authorized dealer to provide training on the use, effects, and risks of the device at the time of sale. Before completing the transaction, the dealer must verify your identity and confirm you hold a valid CPL. A dealer who skips either step faces misdemeanor charges of up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.¹

You should receive documentation of the training and keep it with your CPL. Because the training is specific to the device you buy, ask the dealer to walk you through deployment, dart removal safety, and what to expect from the device’s effects before you leave the store if any of that is new to you.

Carrying the Device

A Taser must be carried concealed, not openly displayed. The concealed-carry rules that apply to a pistol apply to your Taser. You must have your CPL and a Michigan driver’s license or state ID on you whenever you are carrying.²

If a police officer makes contact with you for any reason, immediately disclose that you are carrying a concealed Taser, whether it is on your person or in your vehicle. Show your CPL and ID when asked. Failing to disclose or identify yourself gives the officer authority to seize the device on the spot.²

Places You Cannot Carry

MCL 28.425o lists locations where carrying a concealed Taser is prohibited, even with a valid CPL:⁷

Schools and school property. A parent dropping off or picking up a student may keep a concealed device in the vehicle, but not carry it on their person.
Child care and day care centers.
Sports arenas and stadiums.
Entertainment venues with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more.
Hospitals.
College and university classrooms and dormitories.
Bars and taverns where the primary income comes from selling alcohol consumed on-site. Owners and employees of the business are exempt.
Houses of worship, unless the presiding official permits concealed carry on the property.

Penalties for carrying in a prohibited location escalate from a civil infraction with a $500 fine and a six-month CPL suspension on the first violation, to a misdemeanor with revocation on the second, to a felony carrying up to four years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, on the third.⁷

When You Can Legally Use It

Owning a Taser legally does not mean you can deploy it whenever you feel uncomfortable. MCL 750.224a(6) bars anyone, CPL holder or not, from using a Taser against another person except in circumstances that would justify the lawful use of physical force. You need a genuine, immediate threat of physical harm before deploying the device. Using it during an argument, as intimidation, or in a situation where a reasonable person would not feel endangered is a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison.²

This is the part of the law that trips people up. Buying a Taser for self-defense and lawfully deploying one in self-defense involve very different thresholds. If you use the device and the incident later gets scrutinized, the question is whether your use of physical force was justified under the circumstances, not whether you had a license to carry.

Renewal

A Michigan CPL is valid until your birthday that falls between four and five years after the license was issued. Renewal follows the same basic application process, but the training requirements are lighter. Instead of the full eight-hour course, you need at least three hours of refresher instruction and one hour of range time within the six months before you apply.⁸

The county has 60 days to process a renewal. If neither your renewed license nor a denial arrives in that window, the expiration date of your current license extends by 180 days or until the renewal is issued, whichever comes first. The extension only applies if you paid the renewal fee and submitted proof that a background check was requested at the time of application.⁸

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.224a
2
Michigan State Police. MSP Legal Update No. 100
3
Michigan Department of Attorney General. Opinion No. 7135 – County Corrections Officers and Stun Gun Possession
4
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 28.425b
5
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 28.425j
6
Michigan State Police. Concealed Pistol Application and Instructions
7
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 28.425o – Premises on Which Carrying Concealed Pistol Prohibited
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 28.425l