If Michigan lawmakers approve legislation introduced this month, the state would be among six others in the U.S. where guns can be carried concealed without a government-issued permit.

Four Michigan Republican lawmakers on Feb. 2 introduced bills that would eliminate the state's permitting requirement for concealed carry licenses.

If the legislation passes, requiring the approval of the House and Senate and the signature of Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan would join the ranks of a minority number of states that allow concealed pistols without a permit.

Dubbed "Constitutional Carry" by proponents, concealed pistols without government-issued permits are allowed in Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Vermont and Wyoming.

Regulations vary from state to state. Vermont has no laws on the books about concealed pistols, for example, making them legal, and Wyoming allows them for residents only.

Lawmakers in other states including Colorado are considering similar measures.

Charlevoix County Sheriff Don Schneider said he opposes the Michigan legislation "because there's no checks and balances to be sure a person who should not be carrying a weapon isn't carrying one."

"Can you guarantee it? No," he said. "But you can at least try to control it as best you can."

Schneider said he supports the Second Amendment and the right to own a gun for protection, but said he thinks lawmakers failed to look at how the proposed legislation might affect police before writing it.

State Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, author of House Bill 5304, called Michigan's current concealed pistol license permit requirement a "government over-reach."

"People who want to ensure the safety of their families against the criminal element should not have to beg for that right," Cole said.

The opening paragraph of House Bill 5301. The proposed legislation, if passed, would eliminate the requirement of a Concealed Pistol License permit in Michigan.

Kristen Moore, volunteer chapter leader for the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, said lawmakers should oppose the "attempt to dismantle" the current permit system.

The national group formed in response to the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 to demand action from legislators and others to establish common-sense gun reforms, according to its website.

"...it's common sense to require people who want to carry hidden, loaded guns in public to pass criminal background checks, complete basic gun safety training and get permits," Moore said in an email.

"These core requirements ensure those who are carrying guns have records free from criminal offenses and have been trained to use their firearms -- which protects public safety."

Steve Dulan, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said he feels there are currently too many reasons for disqualifying a CPL applicant in Michigan, calling the current system "a hurdle."

"Folks who had a felony conviction earlier in their lives are still prohibited from defending themselves for something that happened in the 70s," he said.

Michigan currently has "pretty rigorous background checks" compared to other states like Vermont, he said, which has "a much lower crime rate than we have."

Vermont boasted the lowest violent crime rate in the nation, 2014 FBI statistics show, with less than 100 violent crimes per 100,000 people, considering the offenses of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

In comparison, Michigan saw about 427 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2014, the statistics show.

Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, said the current concealed weapons permit "amounts to nothing more than a state tax on a freedom guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution."

People who are currently not legally allowed to carry a firearm will not legally be able to carry a concealed weapon, and penalties for unlawful possession will remain in place, according to bill sponsors.

House Bill 5301, the portion of the bill package that would make concealed pistols legal without a permit, was referred to the Committee on Judiciary on Feb. 2.

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