Four people and four gun groups have sued Michigan government officials, challenging the constitutionality of the state's requirement to purchase a firearm license and register pistols.
The 51-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on June 14, 2026, by Dean Moser, Thomas Overly, David Raney, Reagan Janson, and the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, Michigan Gun Owners, Michigan Open Carry, and the National Rifle Association, argues that the state’s gun regulations are “inconsistent” with the Second Amendment.
The lawsuit targets Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan State Police Director Colonel James Grady II, city of Battle Creek Chief of Police Shannon Bagley, city of Troy Chief of Police Josh Jones, City of Kentwood Police Chief Bryan Litwin, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller III, the city of Walker, and city of Walker Police Chief Keith Mankel.
2026 06 14 Plaintiff Complaint by scott.mcclallen
Those sued are responsible for administering license‑to‑purchase applications.
Individual gun owners and firearm‑rights organizations have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan challenging the constitutionality of the state’s firearm license‑to‑purchase and pistol registration scheme.
https://t.co/4i7q6VBAMi pic.twitter.com/jBDpFmtipC
— Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (@MCRGO_Michigan) June 15, 2026
The complaint alleges that Michigan’s licensing and reporting requirements violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments and cannot be justified under the historical standard laid out in the Supreme Court case New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.
"Michigan's current License to Purchase scheme includes a rudderless standard to exercise a fundamental constitutionally-protected right. Any Michigan police agency can forever deny any citizen's right to acquire a firearm for any reason with no defined legal standard or right of review. Racism was the origin of capricious gun control laws in Michigan and its citizens deserve better." said Dean G. Greenblatt, counsel for Michigan Open Carry.
The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief blocking enforcement of the challenged statutes, as well as the deletion of firearm‑ownership records maintained by the state.
