Due to an unintended interpretation of the regulations, suppressed/silenced/baffled airguns are NOT legal for Michigan's 2015 hunting seasons. Crosman is working with the the MI DNR and the MI Airgun Alliance to get this corrected for 2016.
**ALERT** FOR MICHIGAN AIRGUN HUNTERS
- Thread starter Chip
- Start date
Hopefully it will include turkey. I contacted the DNR via email and they responded with airguns are not allowed for turkey, only bows, crossbows, and shotguns. I've seen on plenty of web sites, including Crosmans, that said you can hunt turkey with an airgun. Maybe I got in contact with a misinformed officer, but I'd rather play it safe until it's in black and white. I know recently Michigan has made the ruling that airguns are not firearms, so there should be no issue with having a shrouded/silenced airgun. Just hunting with one as of now.
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Glad to hear it ! I bought an airforce condor ss after the airgun reclassification and its just been collecting dust because of this . Shrouded airguns are legal to own but not hunt with . Airguns are regulated as a firearm for hunting regulations as defined in House Bill 4154 (2015) .You can not hunt in MI with a silenced(or any thing that reduces the report) firearm .
If they were to allow airguns for turkey I'd expect it to be air shotguns as they do not allow turkey to be hunted with a rifle .Technically you should be able to , under hunting regulation an air shotgun should be a firearm .
If they were to allow airguns for turkey I'd expect it to be air shotguns as they do not allow turkey to be hunted with a rifle .Technically you should be able to , under hunting regulation an air shotgun should be a firearm .
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The key is in the wording and classifications. You cannot hunt in Michigan with a silenced (or anything that reduces the report) firearm. Airguns are not considered a firearm anymore so we should be able to use "silenced" air rifles. As far as hunting turkey, it should be open to all airguns that meet a certain power rating. If the firearm friendly state of California (my attempt at a joke) allows airgun hunting turkey, then I don't see why Michigan (one of the top hunting states in this country) wouldn't look into it. I'm all for the DNR putting out regulations on airguns. We don't need people trying to take a bear with a .22 Marauder, but I'd like to see some common sense put into these regulations. A .22 Marauder has more than enough power to take a turkey. Being "silenced", you are not disturbing the rest of the wildlife or people in the area. Hopefully this can all be ironed out because I am chomping at the bit to get my silenced airgun and my son into the woods for a nice quiet and peaceful hunting experience.
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Read the house bill http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2015-2016/publicact/htm/2015-PA-0024.htm
section 12 defines a pneumatic gun as a firearm for purpose of hunting regulation . They will have to amend the hunting regulation about "silencers" to not include pneumatic guns . Its dumb but that is how it is for now . I have a $720 paper weight until the regulation is changed or I buy a barrel longer than the shroud is .
.35 or larger pcp airguns are legal for bear as well as deer .
section 12 defines a pneumatic gun as a firearm for purpose of hunting regulation . They will have to amend the hunting regulation about "silencers" to not include pneumatic guns . Its dumb but that is how it is for now . I have a $720 paper weight until the regulation is changed or I buy a barrel longer than the shroud is .
.35 or larger pcp airguns are legal for bear as well as deer .
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Oh I am aware they classify airguns as firearms for hunting. I was just trying to make the point they shouldn't because airguns are no longer firearms everywhere else in Michigan law. I hope it is all ironed out by next season.
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Any clear cut answers?
Hopefully this does not exclude guns like the BullDog. Also, it Shute whould be great if MI allowed airguns for Turkey .
Chip, please talk to our lawmakers and set that up. Also have um fix the roads.
Hopefully this does not exclude guns like the BullDog. Also, it Shute whould be great if MI allowed airguns for Turkey .
Chip, please talk to our lawmakers and set that up. Also have um fix the roads.
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I emailed the MI DNR two days ago to see if there are any updates on this and have not received an email back yet.
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There was a preliminary vote to allow suppressor hunting for firearms in January. It passed and the next and final vote is February 11th. If it passes, suppressor hunting for airguns and firearms will be legal in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Airgun Alliance has posted the info of this vote on Facebook if you want to read/support it.
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I have read the info and hope it passes. I asked The MAA a question a couple days ago about if this passes, will the $200 federal permit still be required to use air guns with suppressors for hunting. They were going to get with there attorneys.
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The way I understand it, and I could be wrong, Michigan has "declassified" airguns as firearms. Federally, you need a permit for a firearm suppressor, so because airguns are no longer firearms, you do not need the federal permit to get a suppressor for an airgun in Michigan. I was able to get my Marauder shipped to Michigan, but it doesn't have a traditional suppressor. My local airgun shop sells Daystate airguns with Hugget moderators on them. I'd still get the clarification from MAA especially if they are getting attorneys involved.
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It is a bit confusing. Hopefully some new clearer information will be available next week after the NRC meeting.
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This is what happens when too many separate government bodies are allowed to make their own laws. You end up with a conflicted mess that nobody can follow, including the police. it's bad enough that there can be conflicting Federal and State laws but even if you are compliant with them, you could be breaking a local hunting law or one from you municipality. They all have their own interpretation of what a firearm is and isn't.
Nobody can even say for sure if air gun moderators are legal at a federal level yet. In the one test case, the guy was convicted for possession of an air rifle moderator, went to prison for years but was then released when the conviction was overturned. The law was never changed or clarified after this so, with slightly different circumstances, you could find yourself having to spend $50,000-$100,000 defending yourself for owning a shrouded air rifle too.
The guy whose case was overturned, got out of prison because his air gun moderator could not be fitted directly to a firearm without a "special adapter" aka a 10m x 1 to 1/2" unf adapter. Had it been one of the air rifles with 1/2" UNF threads, his moderator would have screwed directly into the barrel of many firearms and the case could have gone a different direction. The ruling suggests that an Airgun moderators is legally the same as a potato unless that potato has 1/2" UNF threads.
Even when the law is changed in MI for next season, I would think twice about carrying any suppressed air rifle with a 1/2" unf given the way the law is written and how it was interpreted in that case. I think that you are most vulnerable to this on a hunting trip when it's not unusual to be stopped to by police and be asked about any rifles you are carrying. I would be especially careful if you also own firearms as intent seems to be a factor for air gun moderators.
I really don't like how paying the government $200 suddenly makes something legal. It looks exactly like a good old fashined shake-down or racket. Either it's too dangerous and should be illegal for everyone or it should be allowed for everyone. Forcing people to pay them $200 is a total abuse of power....
Nobody can even say for sure if air gun moderators are legal at a federal level yet. In the one test case, the guy was convicted for possession of an air rifle moderator, went to prison for years but was then released when the conviction was overturned. The law was never changed or clarified after this so, with slightly different circumstances, you could find yourself having to spend $50,000-$100,000 defending yourself for owning a shrouded air rifle too.
The guy whose case was overturned, got out of prison because his air gun moderator could not be fitted directly to a firearm without a "special adapter" aka a 10m x 1 to 1/2" unf adapter. Had it been one of the air rifles with 1/2" UNF threads, his moderator would have screwed directly into the barrel of many firearms and the case could have gone a different direction. The ruling suggests that an Airgun moderators is legally the same as a potato unless that potato has 1/2" UNF threads.
Even when the law is changed in MI for next season, I would think twice about carrying any suppressed air rifle with a 1/2" unf given the way the law is written and how it was interpreted in that case. I think that you are most vulnerable to this on a hunting trip when it's not unusual to be stopped to by police and be asked about any rifles you are carrying. I would be especially careful if you also own firearms as intent seems to be a factor for air gun moderators.
I really don't like how paying the government $200 suddenly makes something legal. It looks exactly like a good old fashined shake-down or racket. Either it's too dangerous and should be illegal for everyone or it should be allowed for everyone. Forcing people to pay them $200 is a total abuse of power....
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Yes, if it has baffles or other noise dampening stuff (which most do).
Some stores claim that built in moderators / shrouds are legally different to ones that unscrew but I can't find anything in Federal law which states that distinction.
To be clear, I'm not saying Airgun moderators are illegal. The law has been left deliberately vague and there are many contradictions between federal, state, local municipality and hunting laws.
If you own firearms, I would be careful with a shroud or moderator that has 1/2" unf threads. This is just my opinion. have a read of the case details and see what you think. Google "Airgun moderator test case ruling".
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