Q: Is it lawful or unlawful for a Michigan CPL holder to carry a concealed pistol in a parking lot of a casino and can I lock the gun in the trunk?
– Jess, an Ionia Sentinel reader

A: Jess, yes you may carry concealed while in the parking lot of the casino. Per MCL 28.425o lists pistol free zones as (a) a school or school property (b) a public or private child care center, child caring institution, or child placing agency (c) a sports arena or stadium (d) a bar or tavern licensed under the Michigan liquor control code of 1998, where the primary source of income is the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass for consumption on the premises (e) a property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship (f) an entertainment facility with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more individuals that the individual knows or should know has a seating capacity of 2,500 or more individuals (g) a hospital (h) a dormitory or classroom of a community college, college or university and (i) a casino.
The premises do not include the parking areas.
You may lock your pistol in the trunk.

Q: I have seen a lot of “roadside memorials” along the freeway or other roadways where people have been killed in traffic crashes.
I’m just checking to make sure there is nothing illegal about them, as many seem to be on private property and some on or near the public right of way.
– Diane from Niles

A: Diane, it is unfortunate this is something we have to think about, as it means someone has died.
Any crash is tragic, and this is a way for a family to pay tribute to the lost member.
The closest act I was able to find, per our Traffic Services Section in Lansing, is the Michigan Memorial Highway Act. However, this only covers the changing of street names or giving a road, street or highway a memorial name.
There was an attempt in 2005 to amend it by placing regulations on these roadside memorials. However, it did not pass.
There is no official policy or protocol covering this.
Speaking with the sergeant at the section, a few laws were discussed, stressing safety of the person placing the memorials.
There is a law about pedestrians being in the median of a highway and a law about unauthorized vehicles in the median crossovers on the highways.
Use of the crossover and a pedestrian in the median are safety hazards and are offenses that tickets could be issued for. Law enforcement would ask for extreme caution and to not violate the law in placing these memorials.