One such exception allows for transportation of pistols in a vehicle for a “lawful purpose.” A lawful purpose includes going to or from any one of the following:
A hunting or target area
A place of repair
Moving goods from a home or business to
another home or business
A law enforcement agency (for a safety
inspection or to turn the pistol over to the agency)
A gun show or place of sale or purchase
A public shooting facility
Public land where shooting is legal
Private property where a pistol may be lawfully
used MCL 750.231a also provides that a pistol transported for a “lawful purpose” by a person not licensed to carry a concealed pistol must be
all of the following:
Unloaded
In a closed case designed for firearms
In the trunk (or if the vehicle has no trunk, it must
not be readily accessible to the occupants) There is no way to “open carry” a pistol in a vehicle. An individual, without a CPL or otherwise exempted (e.g., a police officer), who
transports a pistol in a vehicle to an area where he or she intends to “open carry” may be in violation of
MCL 750.227. 
