What is the definition of a felony?
Throughout these gun law pages, we will refer to gun laws that make it illegal for someone convicted of a felony to have a gun. A felony is a more serious crime than a misdemeanor. For purposes of Michigan’s firearm possession law, a felony is defined as a violation of, or an attempt to violate, any state or federal law that is punishable by prison time of four years or more.1
Michigan’s concealed carry license law says that a felony is a crime that that is punishable by death or imprisonment for one year or more, or one that the United States or another state considers a felony. This does not include crimes listed as misdemeanors.2
However, you cannot always tell if someone was convicted of a felony only by looking at the amount of time s/he actually served in prison since sentences are often reduced or pled down. If you are unsure if the abuser was convicted of a felony, you might want to talk to the prosecutor who handled the criminal case against the abuser to find out or go to the courthouse and search the conviction records.
1 MCL § 750.224f(9)(b)
2 MCL §§ 28.425b; 761.1; 750.7