If you don't pass an in-state background check for a Michigan pistol purchase license, police and prosecutors should be notified, newly introduced legislation argues.

The new bill, introduced Wednesday, May 11, by Rep. Robert Wittenberg, D-Oak Park, would require Michigan licensing agencies to alert law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys on the federal, state, and local levels when a prohibited person applies for a pistol purchase license and fails the state's Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) background check, according to Wittenberg's office.

Robert Wittenberg

The result, gun reform advocates hope, will be more violators facing consequences rather than being turned away with no penalty, free to seek a gun through other means.

Law enforcement agencies in Michigan issue pistol purchase licenses if an applicant is cleared by the LEIN check. Wittenberg wants authorities to know when a person prohibited under Michigan law from having a pistol fails the background check.

"When no one reports it, they can go to a private seller or elsewhere," Wittenberg said. "This is when something tragic happens."

The bill is meant to give authorities the tools to go after "denied and dangerous" people before they arm themselves, Everytown for Gun Safety said about the legislation. Similar measure have been passed in other states.

"Requiring pistol permit issuers to notify local law enforcement when a prohibited person fails a background check protects communities by enabling law enforcement on the ground to stop dangerous people before they obtain guns illegally," Everytown said.

Michigan Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America volunteer chapter leader Kristen Moore said the organization applauds Wittenberg for his leadership on the issue.

"When someone who isn't legally allowed to have a gun - because of a criminal conviction, a domestic abuse incident, or a dangerous mental illness - tries to get a pistol purchase permit, and fails a background check, that's a red flag, and it's also a crime," she said.

"And evidence shows prohibited people who fail background checks are especially dangerous. This bill would provide valuable information to law enforcement which, in turn, helps them keep our communities safe and prevents guns from getting into the wrong hands."

The bill applies to people trying to get a purchase permit for a private sale. It would not impact federally-licensed gun shops, which run background checks through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

It is a federal offense for a prospective gun purchaser to lie about his prohibited status on the background check form he fills out at a dealer, Everytown says.

"But in 2009 only 6.6 percent of the 71,000 denials that year were referred to ATF field offices for investigation, and only 140 of those cases were recommended for prosecution," Everytown said, citing a study funded by the Department of Justice.

States and local authorities can fill the gap, according to the agency.

Wittenberg said the "common sense" legislation is meant to enforce existing laws.

"We want to make sure the bad guys aren't getting guns. It's illegal," he said, and that he's not going after the law-abiding.

He's also the sponsor of 2016 legislation that would stop people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns.

Wittenberg said the once-denied gun buyer's second shot at a pistol underscores the importance of stopping bad guys after their first attempt at buying a gun, before their second chance to get one from another source.

-- Brad Devereaux is a public safety reporter for MLive.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.