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In early October, MCRGO sent the information below to students who took an MCRGO concealed pistol license (CPL) class during the COVID pandemic era from 2020 to 2022. The desire is to encourage those students to either obtain or renew their concealed pistol license. MCRGO is doing its part to help counteract the decline in statewide CPL numbers. Many of our E'News subscribers may find the information useful as a reminder regardless of longevity as a licensee.
Interest in obtaining a concealed pistol license is volatile, with factors such as the economy, the state and national political situations, and high-profile news events causing significant increases and decreases in student certifications and license applications.
The most significant of these in recent history was the result of the COVID pandemic from 2020 to 2022. Once firearms safety instructors resumed CPL classes in June 2020 and county clerks' offices reopened in July 2020, CPL class attendance skyrocketed, driven by the unprecedented uncertainty at that moment in our nation's history. The certificates issued during those classes, as well as the concealed pistol licenses that resulted, are now nearing their expiration.
What if I never applied for my CPL?
Ideally, a student will apply for their concealed pistol license shortly after taking the course. But sometimes life gets in the way. Michigan law allows the certificate of course completion to be used to apply for a concealed pistol license for up to 5 years following the date of the class that appears on the certificate. The applicant must file a concealed pistol license application with the county clerk in the county in which he or she resides.
The base cost for a new concealed pistol license is $100. Upon paying all applicable fees and filing the application, the applicant must have classifiable fingerprints taken by the county clerk, state police, sheriff’s office, local police agency, or other entity that provides fingerprinting services. The fingerprinting fee for a Michigan Concealed Pistol License (CPL) is generally $15, though this cost is sometimes included in a total $115 application fee charged by the county clerk's office, as most counties do fingerprinting either directly in the county clerk's office or at the county sheriff's office.
Please treat your course completion certificate as if it were paper currency, equivalent to the course cost. The only person who can replace that certificate is the instructor who taught the course, as state law requires the original handwritten signature of the course instructor on the certificate. If that instructor is no longer available or if the certificate is more than five years old, the course must be retaken to obtain an initial CPL. An instructor may reissue a replacement certificate containing the original course date, often at an additional cost to the student. MCRGO cannot reissue certificates directly to students.
What do I need to do to renew my CPL?
A CPL is valid until the applicant's date of birth that falls not less than four years or more than five years after the license is issued or renewed. If you obtained your initial CPL shortly after you completed your course, it will likely expire in the coming months.
An application to renew a CPL may be submitted not more than six months before, nor one year after, the expiration of the current CPL. CPL holders may be notified that their license is approaching expiration by their county clerk between three to six months prior to the expiration of their current license. A CPL can be renewed at the appropriate county clerk’s office with a $115 payment to the county clerk.
The Michigan State Police (MSP) Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Unit also accepts renewal applications by mail and through the online system. Those eligible to submit their CPL renewal application online will receive a renewal notice through the U.S. Mail from the county clerk who issued their CPL, which contains a PIN. Once in receipt of the PIN, CPL applicants may proceed to www.michigan.gov/cplrenewal to submit their renewal application. CPL holders who receive renewal notices not containing a PIN are not eligible to renew online. However, you may submit a completed CPL renewal application, with payment, to the MSP CPL Unit, P.O. Box 30634, Lansing, Michigan 48909, or renew in person at their county clerk’s office.
The applicant shall sign the statement on the application certifying that he or she has completed at least three hours of review of the required training and has had at least one hour of firing range time in the six months immediately preceding the renewal application. This procedure is on one's honor and typically done informally. There is no required renewal class. Neither the clerk nor MSP will ask for proof of review or range time. Many instructors will allow their former students to attend a portion of the CPL course at a reduced cost if the former student wishes to have a more formal review or range time.
An applicant applying for a renewal is not required to have fingerprints taken again if the applicant's fingerprints have been submitted to and are maintained by the MSP. This is all fingerprints taken since 2006.
What if my CPL has already expired?
If an individual applies for a renewal license prior to the expiration of his or her license, the expiration date of the current license is extended until the renewal license is issued. Upon payment of renewal fees, the applicant will be issued a receipt. A person carrying a concealed pistol after the expiration of his or her license pursuant to such an extension shall keep the receipt and his or her expired license in his or her possession at all times he or she is carrying the pistol. The receipt, when carried with the expired license, shall serve as a valid CPL until the new license or notice of statutory disqualification is received.
If an individual applies for a renewal license after the expiration of his or her license, the individual is not permitted to carry a pistol concealed until such time as the renewal license is issued. Carrying a pistol concealed with an expired license is a felony in Michigan with up to 5 years in prison and a $2,500 fine. A conviction results in a felony record that may negatively impact employment, housing, and education and lead to the loss of firearm ownership rights. It is your responsibility to know when your CPL expires.
How do I renew my MCRGO membership?
MCRGO membership puts you in the vanguard of Michigan concealed pistol license holders. It offers the satisfaction of a good citizen in knowing that in addition to protecting your family, friends, and neighbors by deciding to carry a firearm, you're also fighting to protect your and their constitutional rights to self-defense. Membership supports MCRGO's involvement in the politics of maintaining and improving firearms rights. Politics is a game of numbers, and every member is needed and appreciated.
Membership includes MCRGO's quarterly "On Target" newsletter, member-only content on MCRGO.org including the "Ask an Attorney" feature, CMP benefits, and access to the popular MCRGO Coffee Table discussion group on Facebook. MCRGO membership also allows voting in MCRGO elections, running for its Board of Directors, and the ability to become an MCRGO CPL instructor.
You obtained a free year of MCRGO membership with your MCRGO CPL course. You permanently retain that MCRGO membership number even if it expires. You can look up your membership number HERE with the email you used to register for the course (Note: the Last Name field must be entered exactly as it is in the member database). If you are unable to locate your member number, you can also request it by email to MCRGO at [email protected], including your full name and city.
MCRGO membership may be renewed instantly online: HERE. Online payments are processed through PayPal for security, although you do not need a PayPal account to pay online. MCRGO will never take credit card information directly. You can also mail payment to MCRGO Membership, PO Box 2294, Grand Rapids, MI 49501.
Note that this E'News list is public as part of MCRGO's nonprofit educational mission. Receiving this Monday E'News does not mean the reader is a current member of MCRGO.
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