The Michigan House today approved legislation authored by state Rep. Matt Hall to protect gun owners from impractical and burdensome penalties.

House Bill 4003 reduces the penalty for carrying a concealed pistol on an expired concealed pistol license to a civil fine. The current penalty is a felony. If a person remains eligible to obtain a CPL and their license has been expired for less than one year before the date of the violation, they would face a $330 fine.

“The current felony penalty is overly harsh and can significantly disrupt people’s lives,” said Hall, of Marshall. “It can impact their ability to get or keep a job, get a loan to cover education costs and many other things – even if their license has only been expired for one day. People have already met the necessary safety and education requirements to have a CPL. They don’t just lose that knowledge when it expires, so this is common-sense criminal justice reform.”

Hall also said some individuals do not receive a reminder letter for renewal and are not aware their license is about to expire or already has. This problem often arises when a person moves and a reminder letter is sent to a prior address.

HB 4003 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.