Machine guns: Michigan law prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, or possession of a machine gun or any other firearm that “shoots or is designed to shoot automatically more than 1 shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger” unless licensed by the federal government to manufacture, sell, or possess a machine gun. Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 750.224(1)(a)

“Armor piercing ammunition” means a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and is constructed entirely, excluding the presence of traces of other substances, of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, or beryllium copper, and does not include:
Shotgun shot that is required by federal law or by a law of this state to be used for hunting purposes;
A frangible projectile designed for target shooting;
A projectile that the director of the Michigan Department of State Police finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes; or
A projectile or projectile core that the director of the Michigan Department of State Police finds is intended to be used for industrial purposes.

For concealed pistol license requirements, see Right to Carry section.

For license to purchase: Upon application, Michigan law requires local law enforcement officials to issue purchase licenses to qualified applicants unless they have probable cause to believe that the applicant would be a threat to themselves or to other individuals or would commit a criminal offense with the handgun as well as:

Is not subject to any of several specified protective orders or court dispositions;
Is 18 years of age or older;
Is a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien and a legal resident of Michigan;
Does not have a felony or other specified criminal charge pending against him or her;
Is not prohibited from possessing, using, transporting, selling, purchasing, carrying, shipping, receiving, or distributing a firearm under state law; and
Has not been adjudged “insane” or “legally incapacitated,” or is not under an order of involuntary commitment in an inpatient or outpatient setting due to mental illness.

Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 28.422

Note for handguns: A License to Purchase is required prior to acquisition of a handgun. The acquisition can be either by a purchase, gift, or inheritance.

When a handgun is purchased in Michigan, a Firearm Sales Record form (RI-060 form) is required. The seller must fill out the forms describing the handgun, listing the date of sale, and indicating that the handgun was sold to the licensee/purchaser. Both the seller and the licensee/purchaser must sign the forms. The seller retains a copy of the form as a record of the sale, provide one copy to the purchaser, and return one copy to local law enforcement within 10 days after the date the handgun is purchased or acquired. Within 10 days after receiving the copy from the seller, the law enforcement authority must electronically enter the information into the handgun entry database.
Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 28.422

2.  The term “lawful purpose” is defined to include the following:

• While en route to or from a hunting or target shooting area.
• While transporting a pistol en route to or from his or her home or place of business and place of repair.
• While moving goods from a place of abode or business to another place of abode or business.
• While transporting a licensed pistol en route to or from a law enforcement agency for the purpose of having a safety inspection performed on the pistol, or for the purpose of having a law enforcement official take possession of the pistol.
• While en route to or from his or her place of abode or place of business and a gun show or places of purchase or sale.
• While en route to or from his or her abode to a public shooting facility or public land where discharge of firearms is permitted. 
• While en route to or from his or her abode to a private property location where the pistol is to be used as is permitted by law.