To understand how confusing Michigan’s gun laws are, look no further than your neighborhood elementary school.

Schools are designated as “weapon-free” zones by state law. So no guns.

But wait. There is an exception in the weapon-free zone law for individuals who hold licenses that allow them to carry a concealed weapon. So those with conceal carry licenses – one in 12 adults in Michigan and one in seven in some northern Michigan counties – can carry a handgun beneath their coat into a school, right?

Not really. The concealed carry law prohibits carrying concealed weapons into a school.

OK. So no guns in schools?

Wrong again.

While the concealed carry law prohibits concealed weapons, it doesn’t forbid individuals with concealed carry licenses from carrying weapons carried in open sight. The result: anyone with a concealed carry license can wear a pistol on their hip in a school, as long as the gun isn’t hidden.

But that’s not the whole story either.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that schools can set their own policies on guns. School districts can ban guns from their buildings, and anyone who brings in a gun can be asked to leave, and if they don’t, could be charged with trespassing.

Of course, that means there may be a different gun rule in your neighborhood elementary than in an elementary a few miles away.

Welcome to the world of Michigan gun laws, where you can carry a concealed handgun into a restaurant that serves alcohol but not a tavern that serves food, and into a small-town movie theater, but maybe not into a multi-screen theater complex.

The Michigan Legislature is considering eliminating the need to get a license to carry a concealed weapon. A group of bills passed the House of Representatives in June and are awaiting a hearing in the Senate.

You can read an analysis of the bills by the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency here.