After two recent fatal shootings at malls in Southeast Michigan, many are wondering how gun laws apply in these situations.
Michigan is an open carry state. A gun owner must be at least 18 years old, have purchased the weapon legally and have it registered.
“There are places where someone is allowed to carry a firearm openly versus it being concealed on their person,” Dr. Stephen N. Oliphant, research investigator at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention at the University of Michigan, said.
Oliphant says there are restrictions to concealed carry in prohibited premises.
“That would include places like school property, daycares, sports arenas or stadiums, bars. So these are some of the ones that are explicitly listed,” Oliphant said.
Malls are considered private property.
“Private businesses, including malls, can prohibit firearms on their premises and ask people who are carrying firearms to leave, but there’s no statewide prohibition on firearm carrying in shopping malls broadly,” Oliphant said. “If they were to ask the person to leave and they refuse to leave. That would typically be kind of a criminal trespassing charge versus something tried under the concealed pistol statute.”