Minnesota Firearm Laws :: American Gun Owners Alliance

Subdivision 1. General authority.
The governor (1) has general direction and control of emergency management, (2) may carry out the provisions of this chapter, and (3) during a national security emergency declared as existing under section 12.31, during the existence of an energy supply emergency as declared under section 216C.15, or during the existence of an emergency resulting from an incident at a nuclear power plant that poses a radiological or other health hazard, may assume direct operational control over all or any part of the emergency management functions within this state.
Subd. 2. Cooperation.
In performing duties under this chapter, the governor may cooperate with the federal government, with other states, with Canadian provinces, and with private agencies, in all matters pertaining to the emergency management of this state and of the nation.
Subd. 3. Specific authority.
In performing duties under this chapter and to effect its policy and purpose, the governor may:
1. make, amend, and rescind the necessary orders and rules to carry out the provisions of this chapter and section 216C.15 within the limits of the authority conferred by this section, with due consideration of the plans of the federal government and without complying with sections 14.001 to 14.69, but no order or rule has the effect of law except as provided by section 12.32;
2. ensure that a comprehensive emergency operations plan and emergency management program for this state are developed and maintained, and are integrated into and coordinated with the emergency plans of the federal government and of other states to the fullest possible extent;
3. in accordance with the emergency operations plan and the emergency management program of this state, procure supplies, equipment, and facilities; institute training programs and public information programs; and take all other preparatory steps, including the partial or full activation of emergency management organizations in advance of actual disaster to ensure the furnishing of adequately trained and equipped forces of emergency management personnel in time of need;
4. make studies and surveys of the industries, resources, and facilities in this state as may be necessary to ascertain the capabilities of the state for emergency management and to plan for the most efficient emergency use of those industries, resources, and facilities;
5. on behalf of this state, enter into mutual aid arrangements or cooperative agreements with other states, tribal authorities, and Canadian provinces, and coordinate mutual aid plans between political subdivisions of this state;
6. delegate administrative authority vested in the governor under this chapter, except the power to make rules, and provide for the subdelegation of that authority;
7. cooperate with the president and the heads of the armed forces, the Emergency Management Agency of the United States and other appropriate federal officers and agencies, and with the officers and agencies of other states in matters pertaining to the emergency management of the state and nation, including the direction or control of:
  1. emergency preparedness drills and exercises;
  2. warnings and signals for drills or actual emergencies and the mechanical devices to be used in connection with them;
  3. shutting off water mains, gas mains, electric power connections and the suspension of all other utility services;
  4. the conduct of persons in the state, including entrance or exit from any stricken or threatened public place, occupancy of facilities, and the movement and cessation of movement of pedestrians, vehicular traffic, and all forms of private and public transportation during, prior, and subsequent to drills or actual emergencies;
  5. public meetings or gatherings; and
  6. the evacuation, reception, and sheltering of persons;
8. contribute to a political subdivision, within the limits of the appropriation for that purpose, not more than 25 percent of the cost of acquiring organizational equipment that meets standards established by the governor;
9. formulate and execute, with the approval of the Executive Council, plans and rules for the control of traffic in order to provide for the rapid and safe movement over public highways and streets of troops, vehicles of a military nature, and materials for national defense and war or for use in any war industry, for the conservation of critical materials, or for emergency management purposes; and coordinate the activities of the departments or agencies of the state and its political subdivisions concerned directly or indirectly with public highways and streets, in a manner that will best effectuate those plans;
10. alter or adjust by executive order, without complying with sections 14.01 to 14.69, the working hours, workdays and work week of, and annual and sick leave provisions and payroll laws regarding all state employees in the executive branch as the governor deems necessary to minimize the impact of the disaster or emergency, conforming the alterations or adjustments to existing state laws, rules, and collective bargaining agreements to the extent practicable;
11. authorize the commissioner of education to alter school schedules, curtail school activities, or order schools closed as defined in section 120A.05, subdivisions 9, 11, 13, and 17, and including charter schools under section 124D.10, and elementary schools enrolling prekindergarten pupils in district programs; and
12. transfer the direction, personnel, or functions of state agencies to perform or facilitate response and recovery programs.
Subd. 4. Plan review, availability.
The governor, or state director as designee, shall ensure the conduct of an annual review by state and local officials of the state emergency operations plan specified in the licensing of each nuclear power plant. The review must include, but is not limited to such factors as changes in traffic patterns, population densities, and new construction. Opportunity for full public participation in the annual review shall be provided. Copies of a state emergency operations plan must be published, publicized, and distributed to the news media of the affected community and to the appropriate officials of affected communities and made available to the general public upon request, at no more than the cost of reproduction.

History: 1951 c 694 s 201; 1961 c 560 s 1; 1963 c 660 s 2; 1969 c 1129 art 1 s 14; 1975 c 204 s 67; Ex1979 c 2 s 4-6; 1980 c 611 s 3,4; 1981 c 356 s 248; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 312 art 1 s 10 subd 1; 1987 c 384 art 2 s 1; 1990 c 422 s 10; 1991 c 199 art 2 s 1; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1996 c 344 s 9; 1997 c 162 art 1 s 1; 1Sp1997 c 4 art 7 s 1; 1998 c 397 art 11 s 3; 1999 c 86 art 1 s 4; 2002 c 402 s 6,21; 1Sp2003 c 9 art 5 s 1; 2004 c 279 art 11 s 7; 2005 c 149 s 7; 2005 c 150 s 14

Orders and rules promulgated by the governor under authority of section 12.21, subdivision 3, clause (1), when approved by the Executive Council and filed in the Office of the Secretary of State, have, during a national security emergency, peacetime emergency, or energy supply emergency, the full force and effect of law. Rules and ordinances of any agency or political subdivision of the state inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter or with any order or rule having the force and effect of law issued under the authority of this chapter, is suspended during the period of time and to the extent that the emergency exists.

History: 1951 c 694 s 302; Ex1979 c 2 s 8; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1996 c 344 s 21; 2002 c 402 s 12,21; 2004 c 279 art 11 s 7; 2005 c 149 s 7; 2005 c 150 s 7,14

Subdivision 1. Restrictions.
A person may not transport a firearm in a motor vehicle unless the firearm is:
1. unloaded and in a gun case expressly made to contain a firearm, and the case fully encloses the firearm by being zipped, snapped, buckled, tied, or otherwise fastened, and without any portion of the firearm exposed;
2. unloaded and in the closed trunk of a motor vehicle; or
3. a handgun carried in compliance with sections 624.714 and 624.715.
Subd. 2. Exception for disabled persons.
The restrictions in subdivision 1 do not apply to a disabled person if:
1. the person possesses a permit under section 97B.055, subdivision 3; and
2. the firearm is not loaded in the chamber until the vehicle is stationary, or is a hinge action firearm with the action open until the vehicle is stationary.
Subd. 3. Exceptions; hunting and shooting ranges.
1. Notwithstanding provisions to the contrary under this chapter, a person may transport an unloaded, uncased firearm, excluding a pistol as defined in paragraph (b), in a motor vehicle while at a shooting range, as defined under section 87A.01, subdivision 3, where the person has received permission from the lawful owner or possessor to discharge firearms; lawfully hunting on private or public land; or travelling to or from a site the person intends to hunt lawfully that day or has hunted lawfully that day, unless:
  1. within Anoka, Hennepin, or Ramsey County;
  2. within the boundaries of a home rule charter or statutory city with a population of 2,500 or more;
  3. on school grounds; or
  4. otherwise restricted under section 97A.091, 97B.081, or 97B.086.
2. For the purposes of this section, a "pistol" includes a weapon designed to be fired by the use of a single hand and with an overall length less than 26 inches, or having a barrel or barrels of a length less than 18 inches in the case of a shotgun or having a barrel of a length less than 16 inches in the case of a rifle:
  1. from which may be fired or ejected one or more solid projectiles by means of a cartridge or shell or by the action of an explosive or the igniting of flammable or explosive substances; or
  2. for which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, air or other gas, or vapor.
  Pistol does not include a device firing or ejecting a shot measuring .18 of an inch, or less, in diameter and commonly known as a "BB gun," a scuba gun, a stud gun or nail gun used in the construction industry, or children's pop guns or toys.

History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 10; 1993 c 269 s 12; 2009 c 176 art 2 s 39,40; 1Sp2011 c 2 art 5 s 41

The legislature preempts all authority of a home rule charter or statutory city including a city of the first class, county, town, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision, or any of their instrumentalities, to regulate firearms, ammunition, or their respective components to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance or regulation by them except that:

a governmental subdivision may regulate the discharge of firearms; and
a governmental subdivision may adopt regulations identical to state law.

Local regulation inconsistent with this section is void.

History: 1985 c 144 s 1

Subdivision 1. When authorized.
Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 2, reasonable force may be used upon or toward the person of another without the other's consent when the following circumstances exist or the actor reasonably believes them to exist:
1. when used by a public officer or one assisting a public officer under the public officer's direction:
  1. in effecting a lawful arrest; or
  2. in the execution of legal process; or
  3. in enforcing an order of the court; or
  4. in executing any other duty imposed upon the public officer by law; or
2. when used by a person not a public officer in arresting another in the cases and in the manner provided by law and delivering the other to an officer competent to receive the other into custody; or
3. when used by any person in resisting or aiding another to resist an offense against the person; or
4. when used by any person in lawful possession of real or personal property, or by another assisting the person in lawful possession, in resisting a trespass upon or other unlawful interference with such property; or
5. when used by any person to prevent the escape, or to retake following the escape, of a person lawfully held on a charge or conviction of a crime; or
6. when used by a parent, guardian, teacher, or other lawful custodian of a child or pupil, in the exercise of lawful authority, to restrain or correct such child or pupil; or
7. when used by a school employee or school bus driver, in the exercise of lawful authority, to restrain a child or pupil, or to prevent bodily harm or death to another; or
8. when used by a common carrier in expelling a passenger who refuses to obey a lawful requirement for the conduct of passengers and reasonable care is exercised with regard to the passenger's personal safety; or
9. when used to restrain a person with a mental illness or a person with a developmental disability from self-injury or injury to another or when used by one with authority to do so to compel compliance with reasonable requirements for the person's control, conduct, or treatment; or
10. when used by a public or private institution providing custody or treatment against one lawfully committed to it to compel compliance with reasonable requirements for the control, conduct, or treatment of the committed person.
Subd. 2. Deadly force used against peace officers.
Deadly force may not be used against peace officers who have announced their presence and are performing official duties at a location where a person is committing a crime or an act that would be a crime if committed by an adult.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.06; 1986 c 444; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 4; 1996 c 408 art 3 s 12; 2002 c 221 s 46; 2013 c 59 art 3 s 16; 2013 c 62 s 28

The intentional taking of the life of another is not authorized by section 609.06, except when necessary in resisting or preventing an offense which the actor reasonably believes exposes the actor or another to great bodily harm or death, or preventing the commission of a felony in the actor's place of abode.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.065; 1978 c 736 s 1; 1986 c 444

Subdivision 1. Restoration.
When a person has been deprived of civil rights by reason of conviction of a crime and is thereafter discharged, such discharge shall restore the person to all civil rights and to full citizenship, with full right to vote and hold office, the same as if such conviction had not taken place, and the order of discharge shall so provide.
Subd. 1a. Certain convicted felons ineligible to possess firearms.
The order of discharge must provide that a person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, is not entitled to ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm for the remainder of the person's lifetime. Any person who has received such a discharge and who thereafter has received a relief of disability under United States Code, title 18, section 925, or whose ability to possess firearms has been restored under subdivision 1d, shall not be subject to the restrictions of this subdivision.
Subd. 1b. Violation and penalty.
1. Any person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, and who ships, transports, possesses, or receives a firearm, commits a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both.
2. A conviction and sentencing under this section shall be construed to bar a conviction and sentencing for a violation of section 624.713, subdivision 2.
3. The criminal penalty in paragraph (a) does not apply to any person who has received a relief of disability under United States Code, title 18, section 925, or whose ability to possess firearms has been restored under subdivision 1d.
Subd. 1c. [Repealed, 1999 c 61 s 2]
Subd. 1d. Judicial restoration of ability to possess firearm by felon.
A person prohibited by state law from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving a firearm because of a conviction or a delinquency adjudication for committing a crime of violence may petition a court to restore the person's ability to possess, receive, ship, or transport firearms and otherwise deal with firearms.

The court may grant the relief sought if the person shows good cause to do so and the person has been released from physical confinement.

If a petition is denied, the person may not file another petition until three years have elapsed without the permission of the court.
Subd. 2. Discharge.
The discharge may be:
1. by order of the court following stay of sentence or stay of execution of sentence; or
2. upon expiration of sentence.
Subd. 3. Applicability.
This section does not apply to a forfeiture of and disqualification for public office as provided in section 609.42, subdivision 2.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.165; 1973 c 654 s 15; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1978 c 723 art 1 s 15; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 276 s 1; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 9; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 7; 1998 c 376 s 5; 2003 c 28 art 3 s 3-5; 2005 c 83 s 1

Subdivision 1. Misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor crimes.
1. Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a crime and may be sentenced as provided in paragraph (b):
  1. recklessly handles or uses a gun or other dangerous weapon or explosive so as to endanger the safety of another; or
  2. intentionally points a gun of any kind, capable of injuring or killing a human being and whether loaded or unloaded, at or toward another; or
  3. manufactures or sells for any unlawful purpose any weapon known as a slungshot or sand club; or
  4. manufactures, transfers, or possesses metal knuckles or a switch blade knife opening automatically; or
  5. possesses any other dangerous article or substance for the purpose of being used unlawfully as a weapon against another; or
  6. outside of a municipality and without the parent's or guardian's consent, furnishes a child under 14 years of age, or as a parent or guardian permits the child to handle or use, outside of the parent's or guardian's presence, a firearm or airgun of any kind, or any ammunition or explosive.
    Possession of written evidence of prior consent signed by the minor's parent or guardian is a complete defense to a charge under clause (6).
2. A person convicted under paragraph (a) may be sentenced as follows:
  1. if the act was committed in a public housing zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 19, a school zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 14a, or a park zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 12a, to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both; or
  2. otherwise, including where the act was committed on residential premises within a zone described in clause (1) if the offender was at the time an owner, tenant, or invitee for a lawful purpose with respect to those residential premises, to imprisonment for not more than 90 days or to payment of a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
Subd. 1a. Felony crimes; silencers prohibited; reckless discharge.
1. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 1h, whoever does any of the following is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced as provided in paragraph (b):
  1. sells or has in possession any device designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm;
  2. intentionally discharges a firearm under circumstances that endanger the safety of another; or
  3. recklessly discharges a firearm within a municipality.
2. A person convicted under paragraph (a) may be sentenced as follows:
  1. if the act was a violation of paragraph (a), clause (2), or if the act was a violation of paragraph (a), clause (1) or (3), and was committed in a public housing zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 19, a school zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 14a, or a park zone, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 12a, to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both; or
  2. otherwise, to imprisonment for not more than two years or to payment of a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.
Subd. 1b. Felony; furnishing to minors.
Whoever, in any municipality of this state, furnishes a minor under 18 years of age with a firearm, airgun, ammunition, or explosive without the prior consent of the minor's parent or guardian or of the police department of the municipality is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both. Possession of written evidence of prior consent signed by the minor's parent or guardian is a complete defense to a charge under this subdivision.
Subd. 1c. Felony; furnishing dangerous weapon.
Whoever recklessly furnishes a person with a dangerous weapon in conscious disregard of a known substantial risk that the object will be possessed or used in furtherance of a felony crime of violence is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
Subd. 1d. Possession on school property; penalty.
1. Except as provided under paragraphs (d) and (f), whoever possesses, stores, or keeps a dangerous weapon while knowingly on school property is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
2. Whoever uses or brandishes a replica firearm or a BB gun while knowingly on school property is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
3. Whoever possesses, stores, or keeps a replica firearm or a BB gun while knowingly on school property is guilty of a misdemeanor.
4. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), (b), or (c), it is a misdemeanor for a person authorized to carry a firearm under the provisions of a permit or otherwise to carry a firearm on or about the person's clothes or person in a location the person knows is school property. Notwithstanding section 609.531, a firearm carried in violation of this paragraph is not subject to forfeiture.
5. As used in this subdivision:
  1. "BB gun" means a device that fires or ejects a shot measuring .18 of an inch or less in diameter;
  2. "dangerous weapon" has the meaning given it in section 609.02, subdivision 6;
  3. "replica firearm" has the meaning given it in section 609.713; and
  4. "school property" means:
    1. a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school building and its improved grounds, whether leased or owned by the school;
    2. a child care center licensed under chapter 245A during the period children are present and participating in a child care program;
    3. the area within a school bus when that bus is being used by a school to transport one or more elementary, middle, or secondary school students to and from school-related activities, including curricular, cocurricular, noncurricular, extracurricular, and supplementary activities; and
    4. that portion of a building or facility under the temporary, exclusive control of a public or private school, a school district, or an association of such entities where conspicuous signs are prominently posted at each entrance that give actual notice to persons of the school-related use.
6. This subdivision does not apply to:
  1. active licensed peace officers;
  2. military personnel or students participating in military training, who are on-duty, performing official duties;
  3. persons authorized to carry a pistol under section 624.714 while in a motor vehicle or outside of a motor vehicle to directly place a firearm in, or retrieve it from, the trunk or rear area of the vehicle;
  4. persons who keep or store in a motor vehicle pistols in accordance with section 624.714 or 624.715 or other firearms in accordance with section 97B.045;
  5. firearm safety or marksmanship courses or activities conducted on school property;
  6. possession of dangerous weapons, BB guns, or replica firearms by a ceremonial color guard;
  7. a gun or knife show held on school property;
  8. possession of dangerous weapons, BB guns, or replica firearms with written permission of the principal or other person having general control and supervision of the school or the director of a child care center; or
  9. persons who are on unimproved property owned or leased by a child care center, school, or school district unless the person knows that a student is currently present on the land for a school-related activity.
7. Notwithstanding section 471.634, a school district or other entity composed exclusively of school districts may not regulate firearms, ammunition, or their respective components, when possessed or carried by nonstudents or nonemployees, in a manner that is inconsistent with this subdivision.
Subd. 1e. Felony; drive-by shooting.
1. Whoever, while in or having just exited from a motor vehicle, recklessly discharges a firearm at or toward another motor vehicle or a building is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a fine of not more than $6,000, or both.
2. Any person who violates this subdivision by firing at or toward a person, or an occupied building or motor vehicle, may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
3. For purposes of this subdivision, "motor vehicle" has the meaning given in section 609.52, subdivision 1, and "building" has the meaning given in section 609.581, subdivision 2.
Subd. 1f. Gross misdemeanor; transferring firearm without background check.
A person, other than a federally licensed firearms dealer, who transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to another without complying with the transfer requirements of section 624.7132, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if the transferee possesses or uses the weapon within one year after the transfer in furtherance of a felony crime of violence, and if:
1. the transferee was prohibited from possessing the weapon under section 624.713 at the time of the transfer; or
2. it was reasonably foreseeable at the time of the transfer that the transferee was likely to use or possess the weapon in furtherance of a felony crime of violence.
Subd. 1g. Felony; possession in courthouse or certain state buildings.
1. A person who commits either of the following acts is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both:
  1. possesses a dangerous weapon, ammunition, or explosives within any courthouse complex; or
  2. possesses a dangerous weapon, ammunition, or explosives in any state building within the Capitol Area described in chapter 15B, other than the National Guard Armory.
2. Unless a person is otherwise prohibited or restricted by other law to possess a dangerous weapon, this subdivision does not apply to:
  1. licensed peace officers or military personnel who are performing official duties;
  2. persons who carry pistols according to the terms of a permit issued under section 624.714 and who so notify the sheriff or the commissioner of public safety, as appropriate;
  3. persons who possess dangerous weapons for the purpose of display as demonstrative evidence during testimony at a trial or hearing or exhibition in compliance with advance notice and safety guidelines set by the sheriff or the commissioner of public safety; or
  4. persons who possess dangerous weapons in a courthouse complex with the express consent of the county sheriff or who possess dangerous weapons in a state building with the express consent of the commissioner of public safety.
Subd. 1h. Silencers; authorized for law enforcement and wildlife control purposes.
1. Notwithstanding subdivision 1a, paragraph (a), clause (1), licensed peace officers may use devices designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm for tactical emergency response operations. Tactical emergency response operations include execution of high risk search and arrest warrants, incidents of terrorism, hostage rescue, and any other tactical deployments involving high risk circumstances. The chief law enforcement officer of a law enforcement agency that has the need to use silencing devices must establish and enforce a written policy governing the use of the devices.
2. Notwithstanding subdivision 1a, paragraph (a), clause (1), an enforcement officer, as defined in section 97A.015, subdivision 18, a wildlife area manager, an employee designated under section 84.0835, or a person acting under contract with the commissioner of natural resources, at specific times and locations that are authorized by the commissioner of natural resources may use devices designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm for wildlife control operations that require stealth. If the commissioner determines that the use of silencing devices is necessary under this paragraph, the commissioner must establish and enforce a written policy governing the use, possession, and transportation of the devices.
3. Notwithstanding subdivision 1a, paragraph (a), clause (1), a person who is licensed by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under United States Code, title 18, section 923, as a firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, who is acting in full compliance with all federal requirements under that license, may possess devices designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm for the purpose of selling or otherwise transferring in any lawful manner the devices or firearms tested with the devices, to:
  1. the chief administrator of any federal, state, or local governmental agency;
  2. the commander or commander's designee of any unit of the United States Armed Forces; or
  3. a person who is licensed by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under United States Code, title 18, section 923, as a firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, who is acting in full compliance with all federal requirements under that license.
Subd. 2. Exceptions.
Nothing in this section prohibits the possession of the articles mentioned by museums or collectors of art or for other lawful purposes of public exhibition.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.66; 1971 c 23 s 66; 1983 c 359 s 89; 1986 c 444; 1990 c 439 s 3,4; 1991 c 279 s 33; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 15-17; 1994 c 576 s 49; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 18-21; 1995 c 186 s 101; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 10; 1998 c 367 art 2 s 22; 2003 c 17 s 2; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 2; 1Sp2003 c 2 art 8 s 10,11; 2004 c 228 art 1 s 72; 2005 c 83 s 1,2; 2005 c 102 s 2; 2010 c 268 s 1; 1Sp2011 c 2 art 4 s 28; 2012 c 194 s 1

A person who violates a provision relating to set guns or swivel guns is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

History: 1986 c 386 art 4 s 31

It is a petty misdemeanor to display centerfire metallic-case handgun ammunition for sale to the public in a manner that makes the ammunition directly accessible to persons under the age of 18 years, other than employees or agents of the seller, unless the display is under observation of the seller or the seller's employee or agent, or the seller takes reasonable steps to exclude underage persons from the immediate vicinity of the display. Ammunition displayed in an enclosed display case or behind a counter is not directly accessible. This section does not apply to ammunition suitable for big game hunting.

History: 1991 c 251 s 1

Whoever sets a spring gun, pitfall, deadfall, snare, or other like dangerous weapon or device may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than six months or to payment of a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.665; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11; 2004 c 228 art 1 s 72

Subdivision 1. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following words have the meanings given.
1. "Firearm" means a device designed to be used as a weapon, from which is expelled a projectile by the force of any explosion or force of combustion.
2. "Child" means a person under the age of 18 years.
3. "Loaded" means the firearm has ammunition in the chamber or magazine, if the magazine is in the firearm, unless the firearm is incapable of being fired by a child who is likely to gain access to the firearm.
Subd. 2. Access to firearms.
A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor who negligently stores or leaves a loaded firearm in a location where the person knows, or reasonably should know, that a child is likely to gain access, unless reasonable action is taken to secure the firearm against access by the child.
Subd. 3. Limitations.
Subdivision 2 does not apply to a child's access to firearms that was obtained as a result of an unlawful entry.

History: 1993 c 326 art 1 s 18; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 11

Whoever commits any of the following acts may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both:

obliterates, removes, changes, or alters the serial number or other identification of a firearm;
receives or possesses a firearm, the serial number or other identification of which has been obliterated, removed, changed, or altered; or
receives or possesses a firearm that is not identified by a serial number.

As used in this section, "serial number or other identification" means the serial number and other information required under United States Code, title 26, section 5842, for the identification of firearms.

History: 1994 c 636 art 3 s 22

Subdivision 1. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given them.
1. "Explosive device" means a device so articulated that an ignition by fire, friction, concussion, chemical reaction, or detonation of any part of the device may cause such sudden generation of highly heated gases that the resultant gaseous pressures are capable of producing destructive effects. Explosive devices include, but are not limited to, bombs, grenades, rockets having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, mines, and fireworks modified for other than their intended purpose. The term includes devices that produce a chemical reaction that produces gas capable of bursting its container and producing destructive effects. The term does not include firearms ammunition.
2. "Incendiary device" means a device so articulated that an ignition by fire, friction, concussion, detonation, or other method may produce destructive effects primarily through combustion rather than explosion. The term does not include a manufactured device or article in common use by the general public that is designed to produce combustion for a lawful purpose, including but not limited to matches, lighters, flares, or devices commercially manufactured primarily for the purpose of illumination, heating, or cooking. The term does not include firearms ammunition.
3. "Crime of violence" has the meaning given in section 624.712, subdivision 5, and also includes a domestic assault conviction when committed within the last three years or while an order for protection is active against the person, whichever period is longer.
Subd. 2. Possession by certain persons prohibited.
The following persons are prohibited from possessing or reporting an explosive device or incendiary device:
1. a person under the age of 18 years;
2. a person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of a crime of violence unless ten years have elapsed since the person's civil rights have been restored or the sentence has expired, whichever occurs first, and during that time the person has not been convicted of any other crime of violence. For purposes of this section, crime of violence includes crimes in other states or jurisdictions that would have been crimes of violence if they had been committed in this state;
3. a person who is or has ever been confined or committed in Minnesota or elsewhere as a person who is mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill and dangerous to the public, as defined in section 253B.02, to a treatment facility, unless the person possesses a certificate of a medical doctor or psychiatrist licensed in Minnesota, or other satisfactory proof, that the person is no longer suffering from this disability;
4. a person who has been convicted in Minnesota or elsewhere for the unlawful use, possession, or sale of a controlled substance other than conviction for possession of a small amount of marijuana, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 16, or who is or has ever been hospitalized or committed for treatment for the habitual use of a controlled substance or marijuana, as defined in sections 152.01 and 152.02, unless the person possesses a certificate of a medical doctor or psychiatrist licensed in Minnesota, or other satisfactory proof, that the person has not abused a controlled substance or marijuana during the previous two years;
5. a person who has been confined or committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota or elsewhere as chemically dependent, as defined in section 253B.02, unless the person has completed treatment; and
6. a peace officer who is informally admitted to a treatment facility under section 253B.04 for chemical dependency, unless the officer possesses a certificate from the head of the treatment facility discharging or provisionally discharging the officer from the treatment facility.
A person who in good faith issues a certificate to a person described in this subdivision to possess or use an incendiary or explosive device is not liable for damages resulting or arising from the actions or misconduct with an explosive or incendiary device committed by the individual who is the subject of the certificate.
Subd. 3. Uses permitted.
1. The following persons may own or possess an explosive device or incendiary device provided that subdivision 4 is complied with:
  1. law enforcement officers for use in the course of their duties;
  2. fire department personnel for use in the course of their duties;
  3. corrections officers and other personnel at correctional facilities or institutions when used for the retention of persons convicted or accused of crime;
  4. persons possessing explosive devices or incendiary devices that although designed as devices have been determined by the commissioner of public safety or the commissioner's delegate, by reason of the date of manufacture, value, design, or other characteristics, to be a collector's item, relic, museum piece, or specifically used in a particular vocation or employment, such as the entertainment industry; and
  5. dealers and manufacturers who are federally licensed or registered.
2. Persons listed in paragraph (a) shall also comply with the federal requirements for the registration and licensing of destructive devices.
Subd. 4. Report required.
1. Before owning or possessing an explosive device or incendiary device as authorized by subdivision 3, a person shall file a written report with the Department of Public Safety showing the person's name and address; the person's title, position, and type of employment; a description of the explosive device or incendiary device sufficient to enable identification of the device; the purpose for which the device will be owned or possessed; the federal license or registration number, if appropriate; and other information as the department may require.
2. Before owning or possessing an explosive device or incendiary device, a dealer or manufacturer shall file a written report with the Department of Public Safety showing the name and address of the dealer or manufacturer; the federal license or registration number, if appropriate; the general type and disposition of the device; and other information as the department may require.
Subd. 5. Exceptions.
This section does not apply to:
1. members of the armed forces of either the United States or the state of Minnesota when for use in the course of duties;
2. educational institutions when the devices are manufactured or used in conjunction with an official education course or program;
3. propellant-actuated devices, or propellant-actuated industrial tools manufactured, imported, or distributed for their intended purpose;
4. items that are neither designed or redesigned for use as explosive devices or incendiary devices;
5. governmental organizations using explosive devices or incendiary devices for agricultural purposes or control of wildlife;
6. governmental organizations using explosive devices or incendiary devices for official training purposes or as items retained as evidence; or
7. arsenals, navy yards, depots, or other establishments owned by, or operated by or on behalf of, the United States.
Subd. 6. Acts prohibited; penalties.
1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever possesses, manufactures, transports, or stores an explosive device or incendiary device in violation of this section may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
2. Whoever legally possesses, manufactures, transports, or stores an explosive device or incendiary device, with intent to use the device to damage property or cause injury, may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
3. Whoever, acting with gross disregard for human life or property, negligently causes an explosive device or incendiary device to be discharged, may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 20 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $100,000, or both.
Subd. 7.[Repealed, 2003 c 2 art 1 s 45]

History: 1994 c 636 art 5 s 15; 2002 c 221 s 47; 2005 c 56 s 1

Subdivision 1. Prohibited acts.
1. A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor who:
  1. teaches or demonstrates to any other person how to use or make any firearm, or explosive or incendiary device capable of causing injury or death, knowing or having reason to know that it will be unlawfully employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or
  2. assembles with one or more persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being instructed in the use of any firearm, or explosive or incendiary device capable of causing injury or death, with the intent that it be unlawfully employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder.
2. This section does not apply to law enforcement officers engaged in the lawful performance of the officer's official duties.
Subd. 2. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given them:
1. "civil disorder" means any public disturbance involving acts of violence by assemblages of three or more persons, which causes an immediate danger of or results in damage or injury to the property or person of any other individual;
2. "firearm" means any weapon which is designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile by the action of an explosive; or the frame or receiver of any such weapon;
3. "explosive or incendiary device" has the meaning given in section 609.668, subdivision 1; and
4. "law enforcement officer" means any officer or employee of the United States, the state, or any political subdivision of the state, and specifically includes members of the National Guard and members of the armed forces of the United States.

History: 1995 c 244 s 23

Subdivision 1. Definitions.
1. "Machine gun" means any firearm designed to discharge, or capable of discharging automatically more than once by a single function of the trigger.
2. "Shotgun" means a weapon designed, redesigned, made or remade which is intended to be fired from the shoulder and uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.
3. "Short-barreled shotgun" means a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length less than 26 inches.
4. "Trigger activator" means a removable manual or power driven trigger activating device constructed and designed so that, when attached to a firearm, the rate at which the trigger may be pulled increases and the rate of fire of the firearm increases to that of a machine gun.
5. "Machine gun conversion kit" means any part or combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled, but does not include a spare or replacement part for a machine gun that is possessed lawfully under section 609.67, subdivision 3.
Subd. 2. Acts prohibited.
Except as otherwise provided herein, whoever owns, possesses, or operates a machine gun, any trigger activator or machine gun conversion kit, or a short-barreled shotgun may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
Subd. 3. Uses permitted.
The following persons may own or possess a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun provided the provisions of subdivision 4 are complied with:
1. law enforcement officers for use in the course of their duties;
2. chief executive officers of correctional facilities and other personnel thereof authorized by them and persons in charge of other institutions for the retention of persons convicted or accused of crime, for use in the course of their duties;
3. persons possessing machine guns or short-barreled shotguns which, although designed as weapons, have been determined by the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or the superintendent's delegate by reason of the date of manufacture, value, design or other characteristics to be primarily collector's items, relics, museum pieces or objects of curiosity, ornaments or keepsakes, and are not likely to be used as weapons;
4. manufacturers of ammunition who possess and use machine guns for the sole purpose of testing ammunition manufactured for sale to federal and state agencies or political subdivisions;
5. dealers and manufacturers who are federally licensed to buy and sell, or manufacture machine guns or short-barreled shotguns and who either use the machine guns or short-barreled shotguns in peace officer training under courses approved by the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, or are engaged in the sale of machine guns or short-barreled shotguns to federal and state agencies or political subdivisions; and
6. persons employed by the Minnesota National Guard as security guards, for use in accordance with applicable federal military regulations.
Subd. 4. Report required.
1. A person owning or possessing a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun as authorized by subdivision 3, clause (1), (2), (3), or (4) shall, within ten days after acquiring such ownership or possession, file a written report with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, showing the person's name and address; the person's official title and position, if any; a description of the machine gun or short-barreled shotgun sufficient to enable identification thereof; the purpose for which it is owned or possessed; and such further information as the bureau may reasonably require.
2. A dealer or manufacturer owning or having a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun as authorized by subdivision 3, clause (5) shall, by the tenth day of each month, file a written report with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showing the name and address of the dealer or manufacturer and the serial number of each machine gun or short-barreled shotgun acquired or manufactured during the previous month.
Subd. 5. Exceptions.
This section does not apply to members of the armed services of either the United States or the state of Minnesota for use in the course of their duties or to security guards employed by the Minnesota National Guard for use in accordance with applicable federal military regulations.
Subd. 6. Preemption.
Laws 1977, chapter 255, supersedes all local ordinances, rules, and regulations.

History: 1963 c 753 art 1 s 609.67; 1977 c 255 s 1,2; 1979 c 102 s 13; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 93 s 1,2; 1990 c 439 s 5; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 19,20; 1993 c 366 s 10; 2006 c 273 s 11,12

The presence of a firearm in a passenger automobile permits the fact finder to infer knowing possession of the firearm by the driver or person in control of the automobile when the firearm was in the automobile. The inference does not apply:

to a licensed operator of an automobile who is at the time operating it for hire in the lawful and proper pursuit of the operator's trade;
to any person in the automobile if one of them legally possesses a firearm; or
when the firearm is concealed on the person of one of the occupants.

History: 1993 c 326 art 1 s 21

Subdivision 1. Application.
Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, it shall be lawful for any federally licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector to sell and deliver firearms and ammunition to a resident of a contiguous state in any instance where such sale and delivery is lawful under the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-618).
Subd. 2. Contiguous state purchases.
Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, it shall be lawful for a resident of Minnesota to purchase firearms and ammunition in a contiguous state in any instance where such sale and delivery is lawful under the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-618).

History: 1969 c 216 s 1,2

It is not the intent of the legislature to regulate shotguns, rifles and other longguns of the type commonly used for hunting and not defined as pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons, or to place costs of administration upon those citizens who wish to possess or carry pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons lawfully, or to confiscate or otherwise restrict the use of pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons by law-abiding citizens.

History: 1975 c 378 s 1; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 22

Subdivision 1. Scope.
As used in sections 624.711 to 624.717, the terms defined in this section shall have the meanings given them.
Subd. 2. Pistol.
"Pistol" includes a weapon designed to be fired by the use of a single hand and with an overall length less than 26 inches, or having a barrel or barrels of a length less than 18 inches in the case of a shotgun or having a barrel of a length less than 16 inches in the case of a rifle (1) from which may be fired or ejected one or more solid projectiles by means of a cartridge or shell or by the action of an explosive or the igniting of flammable or explosive substances; or (2) for which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, air or other gas, or vapor.

"Pistol" does not include a device firing or ejecting a shot measuring .18 of an inch, or less, in diameter and commonly known as a "BB gun," a scuba gun, a stud gun or nail gun used in the construction industry or children's pop guns or toys.
Subd. 3. Antique firearm.
"Antique firearm" means any firearm, including any pistol, with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system, manufactured before 1899 and any replica of any firearm described herein if such replica is not designed or redesigned, made or remade, or intended to fire conventional rimfire or conventional centerfire ammunition, or uses conventional rimfire or conventional centerfire ammunition which is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.
Subd. 4. Saturday night special pistol.
"Saturday night special pistol" means a pistol other than an antique firearm or a pistol for which the propelling force is carbon dioxide, air or other vapor, or children's pop guns or toys, having a frame, barrel, cylinder, slide or breechblock:
1. of any material having a melting point (liquidus) of less than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or
2. of any material having an ultimate tensile strength of less than 55,000 pounds per square inch, or
3. of any powdered metal having a density of less than 7.5 grams per cubic centimeter.
Subd. 5. Crime of violence.
"Crime of violence" means: felony convictions of the following offenses: sections 609.185 (murder in the first degree); 609.19 (murder in the second degree); 609.195 (murder in the third degree); 609.20 (manslaughter in the first degree); 609.205 (manslaughter in the second degree); 609.215 (aiding suicide and aiding attempted suicide); 609.221 (assault in the first degree); 609.222 (assault in the second degree); 609.223 (assault in the third degree); 609.2231 (assault in the fourth degree); 609.229 (crimes committed for the benefit of a gang); 609.235 (use of drugs to injure or facilitate crime); 609.24 (simple robbery); 609.245 (aggravated robbery); 609.25 (kidnapping); 609.255 (false imprisonment); 609.322 (solicitation, inducement, and promotion of prostitution; sex trafficking); 609.342 (criminal sexual conduct in the first degree); 609.343 (criminal sexual conduct in the second degree); 609.344 (criminal sexual conduct in the third degree); 609.345 (criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree); 609.377 (malicious punishment of a child); 609.378 (neglect or endangerment of a child); 609.486 (commission of crime while wearing or possessing a bullet-resistant vest); 609.52 (involving theft of a firearm, theft involving the intentional taking or driving of a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner or authorized agent of the owner, theft involving the taking of property from a burning, abandoned, or vacant building, or from an area of destruction caused by civil disaster, riot, bombing, or the proximity of battle, and theft involving the theft of a controlled substance, an explosive, or an incendiary device); 609.561 (arson in the first degree); 609.562 (arson in the second degree); 609.582, subdivision 1, 2, or 3 (burglary in the first through third degrees); 609.66, subdivision 1e (drive-by shooting); 609.67 (unlawfully owning, possessing, operating a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun); 609.71 (riot); 609.713 (terroristic threats); 609.749 (stalking); 609.855, subdivision 5 (shooting at a public transit vehicle or facility); and chapter 152 (drugs, controlled substances); and an attempt to commit any of these offenses.
Subd. 6. Transfer.
"Transfer" means a sale, gift, loan, assignment or other delivery to another, whether or not for consideration, of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon or the frame or receiver of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.
Subd. 7. Semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.
"Semiautomatic military-style assault weapon" means:
1. any of the following firearms:
  1. Avtomat Kalashnikov (AK-47) semiautomatic rifle type;
  2. Beretta AR-70 and BM-59 semiautomatic rifle types;
  3. Colt AR-15 semiautomatic rifle type;
  4. Daewoo Max-1 and Max-2 semiautomatic rifle types;
  5. Famas MAS semiautomatic rifle type;
  6. Fabrique Nationale FN-LAR and FN-FNC semiautomatic rifle types;
  7. Galil semiautomatic rifle type;
  8. Heckler & Koch HK-91, HK-93, and HK-94 semiautomatic rifle types;
  9. Ingram MAC-10 and MAC-11 semiautomatic pistol and carbine types;
  10. Intratec TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol type;
  11. Sigarms SIG 550SP and SIG 551SP semiautomatic rifle types;
  12. SKS with detachable magazine semiautomatic rifle type;
  13. Steyr AUG semiautomatic rifle type;
  14. Street Sweeper and Striker-12 revolving-cylinder shotgun types;
  15. USAS-12 semiautomatic shotgun type;
  16. Uzi semiautomatic pistol and carbine types; or
  17. Valmet M76 and M78 semiautomatic rifle types;
2. any firearm that is another model made by the same manufacturer as one of the firearms listed in clause (1), and has the same action design as one of the listed firearms, and is a redesigned, renamed, or renumbered version of one of the firearms listed in clause (1), or has a slight modification or enhancement, including but not limited to a folding or retractable stock; adjustable sight; case deflector for left-handed shooters; shorter barrel; wooden, plastic, or metal stock; larger clip size; different caliber; or a bayonet mount; and
3. any firearm that has been manufactured or sold by another company under a licensing agreement with a manufacturer of one of the firearms listed in clause (1) entered into after the effective date of Laws 1993, chapter 326, to manufacture or sell firearms that are identical or nearly identical to those listed in clause (1), or described in clause (2), regardless of the company of production or country of origin.
The weapons listed in clause (1), except those listed in items (iii), (ix), (x), (xiv), and (xv), are the weapons the importation of which was barred by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms of the United States Department of the Treasury in July 1989.

Except as otherwise specifically provided in paragraph (d), a firearm is not a "semiautomatic military-style assault weapon" if it is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes under United States Code, title 18, section 925, paragraph (d)(3), or any regulations adopted pursuant to that law.
Subd. 8. Included weapons.
By August 1, 1993, and annually thereafter, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension shall publish a current authoritative list of the firearms included within the definition of "semiautomatic military-style assault weapon" under this section. Dealers, purchasers, and other persons may rely on the list in complying with this chapter.
Subd. 9. Business day.
"Business day" means a day on which state offices are open for normal business and excludes weekends and legal holidays.
Subd. 10. Crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
"Crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" does not include:
1. any federal or state offense pertaining to antitrust violations, unfair trade practices, restraints of trade, or other similar offenses relating to the regulation of business practices; or
2. any state offense classified by the laws of this state or any other state as a misdemeanor and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less.
What constitutes a conviction of a crime shall be determined in accordance with the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held. Any conviction which has been expunged, or set aside, or for which a person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored shall not be considered a conviction for purposes of this definition, unless such pardon, expungement, or restoration of civil rights expressly provides that the person may not ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms.
Subd. 11. Commissioner.
"Commissioner" means the commissioner of public safety unless otherwise indicated.

History: 1975 c 378 s 2; 1977 c 349 s 2; 1987 c 276 s 3; 1991 c 279 s 35; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 23-26; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 24-26; 1995 c 226 art 2 s 32; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 14; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 3; art 3 s 7; 2005 c 83 s 1; 2009 c 137 s 11; 2010 c 299 s 14

Subdivision 1. Ineligible persons.
The following persons shall not be entitled to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon or, except for clause (1), any other firearm:
1. a person under the age of 18 years except that a person under 18 may carry or possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon (i) in the actual presence or under the direct supervision of the person's parent or guardian, (ii) for the purpose of military drill under the auspices of a legally recognized military organization and under competent supervision, (iii) for the purpose of instruction, competition, or target practice on a firing range approved by the chief of police or county sheriff in whose jurisdiction the range is located and under direct supervision; or (iv) if the person has successfully completed a course designed to teach marksmanship and safety with a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon and approved by the commissioner of natural resources;
2. except as otherwise provided in clause (9), a person who has been convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent or convicted as an extended jurisdiction juvenile for committing, in this state or elsewhere, a crime of violence. For purposes of this section, crime of violence includes crimes in other states or jurisdictions which would have been crimes of violence as herein defined if they had been committed in this state;
3. a person who is or has ever been committed in Minnesota or elsewhere by a judicial determination that the person is mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill and dangerous to the public, as defined in section 253B.02, to a treatment facility, or who has ever been found incompetent to stand trial or not guilty by reason of mental illness, unless the person's ability to possess a firearm has been restored under subdivision 4;
4. a person who has been convicted in Minnesota or elsewhere of a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor violation of chapter 152, unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other such violation of chapter 152 or a similar law of another state; or a person who is or has ever been committed by a judicial determination for treatment for the habitual use of a controlled substance or marijuana, as defined in sections 152.01 and 152.02, unless the person's ability to possess a firearm has been restored under subdivision 4;
5. a person who has been committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota or elsewhere by a judicial determination that the person is chemically dependent as defined in section 253B.02, unless the person has completed treatment or the person's ability to possess a firearm has been restored under subdivision 4. Property rights may not be abated but access may be restricted by the courts;
6. a peace officer who is informally admitted to a treatment facility pursuant to section 253B.04 for chemical dependency, unless the officer possesses a certificate from the head of the treatment facility discharging or provisionally discharging the officer from the treatment facility. Property rights may not be abated but access may be restricted by the courts;
7. a person, including a person under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, who has been charged with committing a crime of violence and has been placed in a pretrial diversion program by the court before disposition, until the person has completed the diversion program and the charge of committing the crime of violence has been dismissed;
8. except as otherwise provided in clause (9), a person who has been convicted in another state of committing an offense similar to the offense described in section 609.224, subdivision 3, against a family or household member or section 609.2242, subdivision 3, unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other violation of section 609.224, subdivision 3, or 609.2242, subdivision 3, or a similar law of another state;
9. a person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of assaulting a family or household member and who was found by the court to have used a firearm in any way during commission of the assault is prohibited from possessing any type of firearm for the period determined by the sentencing court;
10. a person who:
  1. has been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
  2. is a fugitive from justice as a result of having fled from any state to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding;
  3. is an unlawful user of any controlled substance as defined in chapter 152;
  4. has been judicially committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota or elsewhere as a person who is mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill and dangerous to the public, as defined in section 253B.02;
  5. is an alien who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States;
  6. has been discharged from the armed forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions;
  7. has renounced the person's citizenship having been a citizen of the United States; or
  8. is disqualified from possessing a firearm under United States Code, title 18, section 922(g)(8) or (9), as amended through March 1, 2014;
11. a person who has been convicted of the following offenses at the gross misdemeanor level, unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other violation of these sections: section 609.229 (crimes committed for the benefit of a gang); 609.2231, subdivision 4 (assaults motivated by bias); 609.255 (false imprisonment); 609.378 (neglect or endangerment of a child); 609.582, subdivision 4 (burglary in the fourth degree); 609.665 setting a spring gun); 609.71 (riot); or 609.749 (stalking). For purposes of this paragraph, the specified gross misdemeanor convictions include crimes committed in other states or jurisdictions which would have been gross misdemeanors if conviction occurred in this state.
12. a person who has been convicted of a violation of section 609.224 if the court determined that the assault was against a family or household member in accordance with section 609.2242, subdivision 3 (domestic assault), unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of another violation of section 609.224 or a violation of a section listed in clause (11); or
13. a person who is subject to an order for protection as described in section 260C.201, subdivision 3, paragraph (d), or section 518B.01, subdivision 6, paragraph (g).
A person who issues a certificate pursuant to this section in good faith is not liable for damages resulting or arising from the actions or misconduct with a firearm committed by the individual who is the subject of the certificate.

The prohibition in this subdivision relating to the possession of firearms other than pistols and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons does not apply retroactively to persons who are prohibited from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon under this subdivision before August 1, 1994.

The lifetime prohibition on possessing, receiving, shipping, or transporting firearms for persons convicted or adjudicated delinquent of a crime of violence in clause (2), applies only to offenders who are discharged from sentence or court supervision for a crime of violence on or after August 1, 1993.

For purposes of this section, "judicial determination" means a court proceeding pursuant to sections 253B.07 to 253B.09 or a comparable law from another state.
Subd. 1a. Ineligible to receive, ship, transport.
A person presently charged with a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year shall not be entitled to receive, ship, or transport any pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon. A violation of this subdivision is a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Penalties.
1. A person named in subdivision 1, clause (1), who possesses a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
2. A person named in subdivision 1, clause (2), who possesses any type of firearm is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both. This paragraph does not apply to any person who has received a relief of disability under United States Code, title 18, section 925, or whose ability to possess firearms has been restored under section 609.165, subdivision 1d.
3. A person named in any other clause of subdivision 1 who possesses any type of firearm is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 3. Notice.
1. When a person is convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent or convicted as an extended jurisdiction juvenile for committing, a crime of violence as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 5, the court shall inform the defendant that the defendant is prohibited from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon for the remainder of the person's lifetime, and that it is a felony offense to violate this prohibition. The failure of the court to provide this information to a defendant does not affect the applicability of the pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon possession prohibition or the felony penalty to that defendant.
2. When a person, including a person under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, is charged with committing a crime of violence and is placed in a pretrial diversion program by the court before disposition, the court shall inform the defendant that: (1) the defendant is prohibited from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon until the person has completed the diversion program and the charge of committing a crime of violence has been dismissed; (2) it is a gross misdemeanor offense to violate this prohibition; and (3) if the defendant violates this condition of participation in the diversion program, the charge of committing a crime of violence may be prosecuted. The failure of the court to provide this information to a defendant does not affect the applicability of the pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon possession prohibition or the gross misdemeanor penalty to that defendant.
3. A court shall notify a person subject to subdivision 1, clause (3), of the prohibitions described in that clause and those described in United States Code, title 18, sections 922(d)(4) and 922(g)(4).
Subd. 4. Restoration of firearms eligibility to civilly committed person; petition authorized.
1. A person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm under subdivision 1, due to commitment resulting from a judicial determination that the person is mentally ill, developmentally disabled, mentally ill and dangerous, or chemically dependent, may petition a court to restore the person's ability to possess a firearm.
2. The court may grant the relief sought in paragraph (a) in accordance with the principles of due process if the circumstances regarding the person's disqualifying condition and the person's record and reputation are determined to be such that:
  1. the person is not likely to act in a manner that is dangerous to public safety; and
  2. the granting of relief would not be contrary to the public interest.
3. When determining whether a person has met the requirement of paragraph (b), clause (1), the court may consider evidence from a licensed medical doctor or clinical psychologist that the person is no longer suffering from the disease or condition that caused the disability or that the disease or condition has been successfully treated for a period of three consecutive years.
4. Review on appeal shall be de novo.
Subd. 5. Provision of firearms background check information.
1. When a court places a person, including a person under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, who is charged with committing a crime of violence into a pretrial diversion program before disposition, the court must ensure that information regarding the person's placement in that program and the ordered expiration date of that placement is transmitted as soon as practicable to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. When a person successfully completes or discontinues the program, the prosecuting attorney must also report that fact within 24 hours of receipt to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
2. The court must report the conviction and duration of the firearms disqualification imposed as soon as practicable to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System when a person is convicted of a gross misdemeanor that disqualifies the person from possessing firearms under the following sections:
  1. 518B.01, subdivision 14;
  2. 609.224, subdivision 3;
  3. 609.2242, subdivision 3;
  4. 609.749, subdivision 8;
  5. 624.713, subdivision 1, clause (11); or
  6. 629.715, subdivision 2.
3. If the court reports a firearms disqualification based on a charge of violating an offense listed in paragraph (b), the court must provide notice of the disposition of the charge to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System within three business days.

History: 1975 c 378 s 3; 1983 c 269 s 2; 1Sp1985 c 9 art 2 s 98; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 279 s 36; 1992 c 537 s 3; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 27; 1993 c 366 s 11; 1994 c 576 s 55,56; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 27,28; 1995 c 259 art 3 s 21; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 15; 2002 c 221 s 48; 2003 c 28 art 3 s 8-10; 2005 c 56 s 1; 2005 c 83 s 1; 2009 c 139 s 2,3; 2010 c 299 s 14; 2013 c 86 art 4 s 8,9; 2014 c 213 s 5; 2016 c 156 s 208.

Subdivision 1. Information.
Any person may apply for a transferee permit by providing the following information in writing to the chief of police of an organized full time police department of the municipality in which the person resides or to the county sheriff if there is no such local chief of police:
1. the name, residence, telephone number, and driver's license number or nonqualification certificate number, if any, of the proposed transferee;
2. the sex, date of birth, height, weight, and color of eyes, and distinguishing physical characteristics, if any, of the proposed transferee;
3. a statement that the proposed transferee authorizes the release to the local police authority of commitment information about the proposed transferee maintained by the commissioner of human services, to the extent that the information relates to the proposed transferee's eligibility to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon under section 624.713, subdivision 1; and
4. a statement by the proposed transferee that the proposed transferee is not prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.
The statements shall be signed and dated by the person applying for a permit. At the time of application, the local police authority shall provide the applicant with a dated receipt for the application. The statement under clause (3) must comply with any applicable requirements of Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, sections 2.31 to 2.35, with respect to consent to disclosure of alcohol or drug abuse patient records.
Subd. 2. Investigation.
The chief of police or sheriff shall check criminal histories, records and warrant information relating to the applicant through the Minnesota Crime Information System, the national criminal record repository, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The chief of police or sheriff shall also make a reasonable effort to check other available state and local record-keeping systems. The chief of police or sheriff shall obtain commitment information from the commissioner of human services as provided in section 245.041.
Subd. 3. Forms.
Chiefs of police and sheriffs shall make transferee permit application forms available throughout the community. There shall be no charge for forms, reports, investigations, notifications, waivers or any other act performed or materials provided by a government employee or agency in connection with application for or issuance of a transferee permit.
Subd. 4. Grounds for disqualification.
A determination by the chief of police or sheriff that the applicant is prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon shall be the only basis for refusal to grant a transferee permit.
Subd. 5. Granting of permits.
The chief of police or sheriff shall issue a transferee permit or deny the application within seven days of application for the permit. The chief of police or sheriff shall provide an applicant with written notification of a denial and the specific reason for the denial. The permits and their renewal shall be granted free of charge.
Subd. 6. Permits valid statewide.
Transferee permits issued pursuant to this section are valid statewide and shall expire after one year. A transferee permit may be renewed in the same manner and subject to the same provisions by which the original permit was obtained, except that all renewed permits must comply with the standards adopted by the commissioner under section 624.7151. Permits issued pursuant to this section are not transferable. A person who transfers a permit in violation of this subdivision is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Subd. 7. Permit voided.
The transferee permit shall be void at the time that the holder becomes prohibited from possessing a pistol under section 624.713, in which event the holder shall return the permit within five days to the issuing authority. Failure of the holder to return the permit within the five days is a misdemeanor unless the court finds that the circumstances or the physical or mental condition of the permit holder prevented the holder from complying with the return requirement.
Subd. 8. Hearing upon denial.
Any person aggrieved by denial of a transferee permit may appeal the denial to the district court having jurisdiction over the county or municipality in which the denial occurred.
Subd. 9. Permit to carry.
A valid permit to carry issued pursuant to section 624.714 constitutes a transferee permit for the purposes of this section and section 624.7132.
Subd. 10. Transfer report not required.
A person who transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person exhibiting a valid transferee permit issued pursuant to this section or a valid permit to carry issued pursuant to section 624.714 is not required to file a transfer report pursuant to section 624.7132, subdivision 1.
Subd. 11. Penalty.
A person who makes a false statement in order to obtain a transferee permit knowing or having reason to know the statement is false is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 12. Local regulation.
This section shall be construed to supersede municipal or county regulation of the issuance of transferee permits.

History: 1977 c 349 s 4; 1986 c 444; 1992 c 571 art 15 s 5,6; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 28-30; 1994 c 618 art 1 s 41,42; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 29-31; 1998 c 254 art 2 s 67; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 34; 2009 c 139 s 4

Subdivision 1. Required information.
Except as provided in this section and section 624.7131, every person who agrees to transfer a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon shall report the following information in writing to the chief of police of the organized full-time police department of the municipality where the proposed transferee resides or to the appropriate county sheriff if there is no such local chief of police:
1. the name, residence, telephone number, and driver's license number or nonqualification certificate number, if any, of the proposed transferee;
2. the sex, date of birth, height, weight, and color of eyes, and distinguishing physical characteristics, if any, of the proposed transferee;
3. a statement that the proposed transferee authorizes the release to the local police authority of commitment information about the proposed transferee maintained by the commissioner of human services, to the extent that the information relates to the proposed transferee's eligibility to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon under section 624.713, subdivision 1;
4. a statement by the proposed transferee that the transferee is not prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon; and
5. the address of the place of business of the transferor.
The report shall be signed and dated by the transferor and the proposed transferee. The report shall be delivered by the transferor to the chief of police or sheriff no later than three days after the date of the agreement to transfer, excluding weekends and legal holidays. The statement under clause (3) must comply with any applicable requirements of Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, sections 2.31 to 2.35, with respect to consent to disclosure of alcohol or drug abuse patient records.
Subd. 2. Investigation.
Upon receipt of a transfer report, the chief of police or sheriff shall check criminal histories, records and warrant information relating to the proposed transferee through the Minnesota Crime Information System, the national criminal record repository, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The chief of police or sheriff shall also make a reasonable effort to check other available state and local record-keeping systems. The chief of police or sheriff shall obtain commitment information from the commissioner of human services as provided in section 245.041.
Subd. 3. Notification.
The chief of police or sheriff shall notify the transferor and proposed transferee in writing as soon as possible if the chief or sheriff determines that the proposed transferee is prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon. The notification to the transferee shall specify the grounds for the disqualification of the proposed transferee and shall set forth in detail the transferee's right of appeal under subdivision 13.
Subd. 4. Delivery.
Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 7 or 8, no person shall deliver a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a proposed transferee until five business days after the date the agreement to transfer is delivered to a chief of police or sheriff in accordance with subdivision 1 unless the chief of police or sheriff waives all or a portion of the seven-day waiting period. The chief of police or sheriff may waive all or a portion of the five business day waiting period in writing if the chief of police or sheriff finds that the transferee requires access to a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon because of a threat to the life of the transferee or of any member of the household of the transferee.

No person shall deliver a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a proposed transferee after receiving a written notification that the chief of police or sheriff has determined that the proposed transferee is prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.

If the transferor makes a report of transfer and receives no written notification of disqualification of the proposed transferee within five business days after delivery of the agreement to transfer, the pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon may be delivered to the transferee.
Subd. 5. Grounds for disqualification.
A determination by the chief of police or sheriff that the proposed transferee is prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon shall be the sole basis for a notification of disqualification under this section.
Subd. 6. Transferee permit.
If a chief of police or sheriff determines that a transferee is not a person prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, the transferee may, within 30 days after the determination, apply to that chief of police or sheriff for a transferee permit, and the permit shall be issued.
Subd. 7.[Repealed, 1994 c 636 art 3 s 46]
Subd. 8. Report not required.
If the proposed transferee presents a valid transferee permit issued under section 624.7131 or a valid permit to carry issued under section 624.714, the transferor need not file a transfer report.
Subd. 9. Number of pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons.
Any number of pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons may be the subject of a single transfer agreement and report to the chief of police or sheriff. Nothing in this section or section 624.7131 shall be construed to limit or restrict the number of pistols or semiautomatic military-style assault weapons a person may acquire.
Subd. 10. Restriction on records.
If, after a determination that the transferee is not a person prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, a transferee requests that no record be maintained of the fact of who is the transferee of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, the chief of police or sheriff shall sign the transfer report and return it to the transferee as soon as possible. Thereafter, no government employee or agency shall maintain a record of the transfer that identifies the transferee, and the transferee shall retain the report of transfer.
Subd. 11. Forms; cost.
Chiefs of police and sheriffs shall make transfer report forms available throughout the community. There shall be no charge for forms, reports, investigations, notifications, waivers or any other act performed or materials provided by a government employee or agency in connection with a transfer.
Subd. 12. Exclusions.
Except as otherwise provided in section 609.66, subdivision 1f, this section shall not apply to transfers of antique firearms as curiosities or for their historical significance or value, transfers to or between federally licensed firearms dealers, transfers by order of court, involuntary transfers, transfers at death or the following transfers:
1. a transfer by a person other than a federally licensed firearms dealer;
2. a loan to a prospective transferee if the loan is intended for a period of no more than one day;
3. the delivery of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person for the purpose of repair, reconditioning or remodeling;
4. a loan by a teacher to a student in a course designed to teach marksmanship or safety with a pistol and approved by the commissioner of natural resources;
5. a loan between persons at a firearms collectors exhibition;
6. a loan between persons lawfully engaged in hunting or target shooting if the loan is intended for a period of no more than 12 hours;
7. a loan between law enforcement officers who have the power to make arrests other than citizen arrests; and
8. a loan between employees or between the employer and an employee in a business if the employee is required to carry a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon by reason of employment and is the holder of a valid permit to carry a pistol.
Subd. 13. Appeal.
A person aggrieved by the determination of a chief of police or sheriff that the person is prohibited by section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon may appeal the determination as provided in this subdivision. The district court shall have jurisdiction of proceedings under this subdivision.

On review pursuant to this subdivision, the court shall be limited to a determination of whether the proposed transferee is a person prohibited from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon by section 624.713.
Subd. 14. Transfer to unknown party.
1. No person shall transfer a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to another who is not personally known to the transferor unless the proposed transferee presents evidence of identity to the transferor.
2. No person who is not personally known to the transferor shall become a transferee of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon unless the person presents evidence of identity to the transferor.
3. The evidence of identity shall contain the name, residence address, date of birth, and photograph of the proposed transferee; must be made or issued by or under the authority of the United States government, a state, a political subdivision of a state, a foreign government, a political subdivision of a foreign government, an international governmental or an international quasi-governmental organization; and must be of a type commonly accepted for the purpose of identification of individuals.
4. A person who becomes a transferee of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon in violation of this subdivision is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Subd. 15. Penalties.
1. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), a person who does any of the following is guilty of a gross misdemeanor:
  1. transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon in violation of subdivisions 1 to 13;
  2. transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person who has made a false statement in order to become a transferee, if the transferor knows or has reason to know the transferee has made the false statement;
  3. knowingly becomes a transferee in violation of subdivisions 1 to 13; or
  4. makes a false statement in order to become a transferee of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon knowing or having reason to know the statement is false.
2. A person who does either of the following is guilty of a felony:
  1. transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person under the age of 18 in violation of subdivisions 1 to 13; or
  2. transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person under the age of 18 who has made a false statement in order to become a transferee, if the transferor knows or has reason to know the transferee has made the false statement.
Subd. 16. Local regulation.
This section shall be construed to supersede municipal or county regulation of the transfer of pistols.

History: 1977 c 349 s 5; 1985 c 144 s 2; 1986 c 444; 1992 c 571 art 15 s 7; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 31; 1994 c 576 s 57; 1994 c 618 art 1 s 43,44; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 32-37; 1996 c 305 art 1 s 122; 1998 c 254 art 2 s 68; 2009 c 139 s 5

Subdivision 1.[Repealed, 2003 c 28 art 2 s 35; 2005 c 83 s 1]
Subd. 1a. Permit required; penalty.
A person, other than a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, who carries, holds, or possesses a pistol in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, or boat, or on or about the person's clothes or the person, or otherwise in possession or control in a public place, as defined in section 624.7181, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), without first having obtained a permit to carry the pistol is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. A person who is convicted a second or subsequent time is guilty of a felony.
Subd. 1b. Display of permit; penalty.
1. The holder of a permit to carry must have the permit card and a driver's license, state identification card, or other government-issued photo identification in immediate possession at all times when carrying a pistol and must display the permit card and identification document upon lawful demand by a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1. A violation of this paragraph is a petty misdemeanor. The fine for a first offense must not exceed $25. Notwithstanding section 609.531, a firearm carried in violation of this paragraph is not subject to forfeiture.
2. A citation issued for violating paragraph (a) must be dismissed if the person demonstrates, in court or in the office of the arresting officer, that the person was authorized to carry the pistol at the time of the alleged violation.
3. Upon the request of a peace officer, a permit holder must write a sample signature in the officer's presence to aid in verifying the person's identity.
4. Upon the request of a peace officer, a permit holder shall disclose to the officer whether or not the permit holder is currently carrying a firearm.
Subd. 2. Where application made; authority to issue permit; criteria; scope.
1. Applications by Minnesota residents for permits to carry shall be made to the county sheriff where the applicant resides. Nonresidents, as defined in section 171.01, subdivision 42, may apply to any sheriff.
2. Unless a sheriff denies a permit under the exception set forth in subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3), a sheriff must issue a permit to an applicant if the person:
  1. has training in the safe use of a pistol;
  2. is at least 21 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States;
  3. completes an application for a permit;
  4. is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under the following sections:
    1. 518B.01, subdivision 14;
    2. 609.224, subdivision 3;
    3. 609.2242, subdivision 3;
    4. 609.749, subdivision 8;
    5. 624.713;
    6. 624.719;
    7. 629.715, subdivision 2;
    8. 629.72, subdivision 2; or
    9. any federal law; and
  5. is not listed in the criminal gang investigative data system under section 299C.091.
3. A permit to carry a pistol issued or recognized under this section is a state permit and is effective throughout the state.
4. A sheriff may contract with a police chief to process permit applications under this section. If a sheriff contracts with a police chief, the sheriff remains the issuing authority and the police chief acts as the sheriff's agent. If a sheriff contracts with a police chief, all of the provisions of this section will apply.
Subd. 2a. Training in the safe use of a pistol.
1. An applicant must present evidence that the applicant received training in the safe use of a pistol within one year of the date of an original or renewal application. Training may be demonstrated by:
  1. employment as a peace officer in the state of Minnesota within the past year; or
  2. completion of a firearms safety or training course providing basic training in the safe use of a pistol and conducted by a certified instructor.
2. Basic training must include:
  1. instruction in the fundamentals of pistol use;
  2. successful completion of an actual shooting qualification exercise; and
  3. instruction in the fundamental legal aspects of pistol possession, carry, and use, including self-defense and the restrictions on the use of deadly force.
3. The certified instructor must issue a certificate to a person who has completed a firearms safety or training course described in paragraph (b). The certificate must be signed by the instructor and attest that the person attended and completed the course.
4. A person qualifies as a certified instructor if the person is certified as a firearms instructor within the past five years by an organization or government entity that has been approved by the Department of Public Safety in accordance with the department's standards.
5. A sheriff must accept the training described in this subdivision as meeting the requirement in subdivision 2, paragraph (b), for training in the safe use of a pistol. A sheriff may also accept other satisfactory evidence of training in the safe use of a pistol.
Subd. 3. Form and contents of application.
1. Applications for permits to carry must be an official, standardized application form, adopted under section 624.7151, and must set forth in writing only the following information:
  1. the applicant's name, residence, telephone number, if any, and driver's license number or state identification card number;
  2. the applicant's sex, date of birth, height, weight, and color of eyes and hair, and distinguishing physical characteristics, if any;
  3. the township or statutory city or home rule charter city, and county, of all Minnesota residences of the applicant in the last five years, though not including specific addresses;
  4. the township or city, county, and state of all non-Minnesota residences of the applicant in the last five years, though not including specific addresses;
  5. a statement that the applicant authorizes the release to the sheriff of commitment information about the applicant maintained by the commissioner of human services or any similar agency or department of another state where the applicant has resided, to the extent that the information relates to the applicant's eligibility to possess a firearm; and
  6. a statement by the applicant that, to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief, the applicant is not prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
2. The statement under paragraph (a), clause (5), must comply with any applicable requirements of Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, sections 2.31 to 2.35, with respect to consent to disclosure of alcohol or drug abuse patient records.
3. An applicant must submit to the sheriff an application packet consisting only of the following items:
  1. a completed application form, signed and dated by the applicant;
  2. an accurate photocopy of the certificate described in subdivision 2a, paragraph (c), that is submitted as the applicant's evidence of training in the safe use of a pistol; and
  3. an accurate photocopy of the applicant's current driver's license, state identification card, or the photo page of the applicant's passport.
4. In addition to the other application materials, a person who is otherwise ineligible for a permit due to a criminal conviction but who has obtained a pardon or expungement setting aside the conviction, sealing the conviction, or otherwise restoring applicable rights, must submit a copy of the relevant order.
5. Applications must be submitted in person.
6. The sheriff may charge a new application processing fee in an amount not to exceed the actual and reasonable direct cost of processing the application or $100, whichever is less. Of this amount, $10 must be submitted to the commissioner and deposited into the general fund.
7. This subdivision prescribes the complete and exclusive set of items an applicant is required to submit in order to apply for a new or renewal permit to carry. The applicant must not be asked or required to submit, voluntarily or involuntarily, any information, fees, or documentation beyond that specifically required by this subdivision. This paragraph does not apply to alternate training evidence accepted by the sheriff under subdivision 2a, paragraph (d).
8. Forms for new and renewal applications must be available at all sheriffs' offices and the commissioner must make the forms available on the Internet.
9. Application forms must clearly display a notice that a permit, if granted, is void and must be immediately returned to the sheriff if the permit holder is or becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. The notice must list the applicable state criminal offenses and civil categories that prohibit a person from possessing a firearm.
10. Upon receipt of an application packet and any required fee, the sheriff must provide a signed receipt indicating the date of submission.
Subd. 4. Investigation.
1. The sheriff must check, by means of electronic data transfer, criminal records, histories, and warrant information on each applicant through the Minnesota Crime Information System and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The sheriff shall also make a reasonable effort to check other available and relevant federal, state, or local record-keeping systems. The sheriff must obtain commitment information from the commissioner of human services as provided in section 245.041 or, if the information is reasonably available, as provided by a similar statute from another state.
2. When an application for a permit is filed under this section, the sheriff must notify the chief of police, if any, of the municipality where the applicant resides. The police chief may provide the sheriff with any information relevant to the issuance of the permit.
3. The sheriff must conduct a background check by means of electronic data transfer on a permit holder through the Minnesota Crime Information System and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System at least yearly to ensure continuing eligibility. The sheriff may also conduct additional background checks by means of electronic data transfer on a permit holder at any time during the period that a permit is in effect.
Subd. 5.[Repealed, 2003 c 28 art 2 s 35; 2005 c 83 s 1]
Subd. 6. Granting and denial of permits.
1. The sheriff must, within 30 days after the date of receipt of the application packet described in subdivision 3:
  1. issue the permit to carry;
  2. deny the application for a permit to carry solely on the grounds that the applicant failed to qualify under the criteria described in subdivision 2, paragraph (b); or
  3. deny the application on the grounds that there exists a substantial likelihood that the applicant is a danger to self or the public if authorized to carry a pistol under a permit.
2. Failure of the sheriff to notify the applicant of the denial of the application within 30 days after the date of receipt of the application packet constitutes issuance of the permit to carry and the sheriff must promptly fulfill the requirements under paragraph (c). To deny the application, the sheriff must provide the applicant with written notification and the specific factual basis justifying the denial under paragraph (a), clause (2) or (3), including the source of the factual basis. The sheriff must inform the applicant of the applicant's right to submit, within 20 business days, any additional documentation relating to the propriety of the denial. Upon receiving any additional documentation, the sheriff must reconsider the denial and inform the applicant within 15 business days of the result of the reconsideration. Any denial after reconsideration must be in the same form and substance as the original denial and must specifically address any continued deficiencies in light of the additional documentation submitted by the applicant. The applicant must be informed of the right to seek de novo review of the denial as provided in subdivision 12.
3. Upon issuing a permit to carry, the sheriff must provide a laminated permit card to the applicant by first class mail unless personal delivery has been made. Within five business days, the sheriff must submit the information specified in subdivision 7, paragraph (a), to the commissioner for inclusion solely in the database required under subdivision 15, paragraph (a). The sheriff must transmit the information in a manner and format prescribed by the commissioner.
4. Within five business days of learning that a permit to carry has been suspended or revoked, the sheriff must submit information to the commissioner regarding the suspension or revocation for inclusion solely in the databases required or permitted under subdivision 15.
5. Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), the sheriff may suspend the application process if a charge is pending against the applicant that, if resulting in conviction, will prohibit the applicant from possessing a firearm.
Subd. 7. Permit card contents; expiration; renewal.
1. Permits to carry must be on an official, standardized permit card adopted by the commissioner, containing only the name, residence, and driver's license number or state identification card number of the permit holder, if any.
2. The permit card must also identify the issuing sheriff and state the expiration date of the permit. The permit card must clearly display a notice that a permit, if granted, is void and must be immediately returned to the sheriff if the permit holder becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
3. A permit to carry a pistol issued under this section expires five years after the date of issue. It may be renewed in the same manner and under the same criteria which the original permit was obtained, subject to the following procedures:
  1. no earlier than 90 days prior to the expiration date on the permit, the permit holder may renew the permit by submitting to the appropriate sheriff the application packet described in subdivision 3 and a renewal processing fee not to exceed the actual and reasonable direct cost of processing the application or $75, whichever is less. Of this amount, $5 must be submitted to the commissioner and deposited into the general fund. The sheriff must process the renewal application in accordance with subdivisions 4 and 6; and
  2. a permit holder who submits a renewal application packet after the expiration date of the permit, but within 30 days after expiration, may renew the permit as provided in clause (1) by paying an additional late fee of $10.
4. The renewal permit is effective beginning on the expiration date of the prior permit to carry.
Subd. 7a. Change of address; loss or destruction of permit.
1. Within 30 days after changing permanent address, or within 30 days of having lost or destroyed the permit card, the permit holder must notify the issuing sheriff of the change, loss, or destruction. Failure to provide notification as required by this subdivision is a petty misdemeanor. The fine for a first offense must not exceed $25. Notwithstanding section 609.531, a firearm carried in violation of this paragraph is not subject to forfeiture.
2. After notice is given under paragraph (a), a permit holder may obtain a replacement permit card by paying $10 to the sheriff. The request for a replacement permit card must be made on an official, standardized application adopted for this purpose under section 624.7151, and, except in the case of an address change, must include a notarized statement that the permit card has been lost or destroyed.
Subd. 8. Permit to carry voided.
1. The permit to carry is void at the time that the holder becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm, in which event the holder must return the permit card to the issuing sheriff within five business days after the holder knows or should know that the holder is a prohibited person. If the sheriff has knowledge that a permit is void under this paragraph, the sheriff must give notice to the permit holder in writing in the same manner as a denial. Failure of the holder to return the permit within the five days is a gross misdemeanor unless the court finds that the circumstances or the physical or mental condition of the permit holder prevented the holder from complying with the return requirement.
2. When a permit holder is convicted of an offense that prohibits the permit holder from possessing a firearm, the court must take possession of the permit, if it is available, and send it to the issuing sheriff.
3. The sheriff of the county where the application was submitted, or of the county of the permit holder's current residence, may file a petition with the district court therein, for an order revoking a permit to carry on the grounds set forth in subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3). An order shall be issued only if the sheriff meets the burden of proof and criteria set forth in subdivision 12. If the court denies the petition, the court must award the permit holder reasonable costs and expenses, including attorney fees.
4. A permit revocation must be promptly reported to the issuing sheriff.
Subd. 8a. Prosecutor's duty.
Whenever a person is charged with an offense that would, upon conviction, prohibit the person from possessing a firearm, the prosecuting attorney must ascertain whether the person is a permit holder under this section. If the person is a permit holder, the prosecutor must notify the issuing sheriff that the person has been charged with a prohibiting offense. The prosecutor must also notify the sheriff of the final disposition of the case.
Subd. 9. Carrying pistols about one's premises or for purposes of repair, target practice.
A permit to carry is not required of a person:
1. to keep or carry about the person's place of business, dwelling house, premises or on land possessed by the person a pistol;
2. to carry a pistol from a place of purchase to the person's dwelling house or place of business, or from the person's dwelling house or place of business to or from a place where repairing is done, to have the pistol repaired;
3. to carry a pistol between the person's dwelling house and place of business;
4. to carry a pistol in the woods or fields or upon the waters of this state for the purpose of hunting or of target shooting in a safe area; or
5. to transport a pistol in a motor vehicle, snowmobile or boat if the pistol is unloaded, contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, or securely tied package.
Subd. 10. False representations.
A person who gives or causes to be given any false material information in applying for a permit to carry, knowing or having reason to know the information is false, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Subd. 11. No limit on number of pistols.
A person shall not be restricted as to the number of pistols the person may carry.
Subd. 11a. Emergency issuance of permits.
A sheriff may immediately issue an emergency permit to a person if the sheriff determines that the person is in an emergency situation that may constitute an immediate risk to the safety of the person or someone residing in the person's household. A person seeking an emergency permit must complete an application form and must sign an affidavit describing the emergency situation. An emergency permit applicant does not need to provide evidence of training. An emergency permit is valid for 30 days, may not be renewed, and may be revoked without a hearing. No fee may be charged for an emergency permit. An emergency permit holder may seek a regular permit under subdivision 3 and is subject to the other applicable provisions of this section.
Subd. 12. Hearing upon denial or revocation.
1. Any person aggrieved by denial or revocation of a permit to carry may appeal by petition to the district court having jurisdiction over the county or municipality where the application was submitted. The petition must list the sheriff as the respondent. The district court must hold a hearing at the earliest practicable date and in any event no later than 60 days following the filing of the petition for review. The court may not grant or deny any relief before the completion of the hearing. The record of the hearing must be sealed. The matter must be heard de novo without a jury.
2. The court must issue written findings of fact and conclusions of law regarding the issues submitted by the parties. The court must issue its writ of mandamus directing that the permit be issued and order other appropriate relief unless the sheriff establishes by clear and convincing evidence:
  1. that the applicant is disqualified under the criteria described in subdivision 2, paragraph (b); or
  2. that there exists a substantial likelihood that the applicant is a danger to self or the public if authorized to carry a pistol under a permit. Incidents of alleged criminal misconduct that are not investigated and documented may not be considered.
3. If an applicant is denied a permit on the grounds that the applicant is listed in the criminal gang investigative data system under section 299C.091, the person may challenge the denial, after disclosure under court supervision of the reason for that listing, based on grounds that the person:
  1. was erroneously identified as a person in the data system;
  2. was improperly included in the data system according to the criteria outlined in section 299C.091, subdivision 2, paragraph (b); or
  3. has demonstrably withdrawn from the activities and associations that led to inclusion in the data system.
4. If the court grants a petition brought under paragraph (a), the court must award the applicant or permit holder reasonable costs and expenses including attorney fees.
Subd. 12a. Suspension as condition of release.
The district court may order suspension of the application process for a permit or suspend the permit of a permit holder as a condition of release pursuant to the same criteria as the surrender of firearms under section 629.715. A permit suspension must be promptly reported to the issuing sheriff. If the permit holder has an out-of-state permit recognized under subdivision 16, the court must promptly report the suspension to the commissioner for inclusion solely in the database under subdivision 15, paragraph (a).
Subd. 13. Exemptions; adult correctional facility officers.
A permit to carry a pistol is not required of any officer of a state adult correctional facility when on guard duty or otherwise engaged in an assigned duty.
Subd. 14. Records.
1. A sheriff must not maintain records or data collected, made, or held under this section concerning any applicant or permit holder that are not necessary under this section to support a permit that is outstanding or eligible for renewal under subdivision 7, paragraph (b). Notwithstanding section 138.163, sheriffs must completely purge all files and databases by March 1 of each year to delete all information collected under this section concerning all persons who are no longer current permit holders or currently eligible to renew their permit.
2. Paragraph (a) does not apply to records or data concerning an applicant or permit holder who has had a permit denied or revoked under the criteria established in subdivision 2, paragraph (b), clause (1), or subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3), for a period of six years from the date of the denial or revocation.
Subd. 15. Commissioner; contracts; database.
1. The commissioner must maintain an automated database of persons authorized to carry pistols under this section that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, only to law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors carrying out their duties under subdivision 8a, to verify the validity of a permit.
2. The commissioner may maintain a separate automated database of denied applications for permits to carry and of revoked permits that is available only to sheriffs performing their duties under this section containing the date of, the statutory basis for, and the initiating agency for any permit application denied or permit revoked for a period of six years from the date of the denial or revocation.
3. The commissioner may contract with one or more vendors to implement the commissioner's duties under this section.
Subd. 16. Recognition of permits from other states.
1. The commissioner must annually establish and publish a list of other states that have laws governing the issuance of permits to carry weapons that are not substantially similar to this section. The list must be available on the Internet. A person holding a carry permit from a state not on the list may use the license or permit in this state subject to the rights, privileges, and requirements of this section.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), no license or permit from another state is valid in this state if the holder is or becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
3. Any sheriff or police chief may file a petition under subdivision 12 seeking an order suspending or revoking an out-of-state permit holder's authority to carry a pistol in this state on the grounds set forth in subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3). An order shall only be issued if the petitioner meets the burden of proof and criteria set forth in subdivision 12. If the court denies the petition, the court must award the permit holder reasonable costs and expenses including attorney fees. The petition may be filed in any county in the state where a person holding a license or permit from another state can be found.
4. The commissioner must, when necessary, execute reciprocity agreements regarding carry permits with jurisdictions whose carry permits are recognized under paragraph (a).
Subd. 17. Posting; trespass.
1. A person carrying a firearm on or about his or her person or clothes under a permit or otherwise who remains at a private establishment knowing that the operator of the establishment or its agent has made a reasonable request that firearms not be brought into the establishment may be ordered to leave the premises. A person who fails to leave when so requested is guilty of a petty misdemeanor. The fine for a first offense must not exceed $25. Notwithstanding section 609.531, a firearm carried in violation of this subdivision is not subject to forfeiture.
2. As used in this subdivision, the terms in this paragraph have the meanings given.
  1. "Reasonable request" means a request made under the following circumstances:
    1. the requester has prominently posted a conspicuous sign at every entrance to the establishment containing the following language: "(INDICATE IDENTITY OF OPERATOR) BANS GUNS IN THESE PREMISES."; or
    2. the requester or the requester's agent personally informs the person that guns are prohibited in the premises and demands compliance.
  2. "Prominently" means readily visible and within four feet laterally of the entrance with the bottom of the sign at a height of four to six feet above the floor.
  3. "Conspicuous" means lettering in black arial typeface at least 1-1/2 inches in height against a bright contrasting background that is at least 187 square inches in area.
  4. "Private establishment" means a building, structure, or portion thereof that is owned, leased, controlled, or operated by a nongovernmental entity for a nongovernmental purpose.
3. The owner or operator of a private establishment may not prohibit the lawful carry or possession of firearms in a parking facility or parking area.
4. The owner or operator of a private establishment may not prohibit the lawful carry or possession of firearms by a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), within the private establishment or deny the officer access thereto, except when specifically authorized by statute. The owner or operator of the private establishment may require the display of official credentials issued by the agency that employs the peace officer prior to granting the officer entry into the private establishment.
5. This subdivision does not apply to private residences. The lawful possessor of a private residence may prohibit firearms, and provide notice thereof, in any lawful manner.
6. A landlord may not restrict the lawful carry or possession of firearms by tenants or their guests.
7. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provisions in section 609.605, this subdivision sets forth the exclusive criteria to notify a permit holder when otherwise lawful firearm possession is not allowed in a private establishment and sets forth the exclusive penalty for such activity.
8. This subdivision does not apply to a security guard acting in the course and scope of employment. The owner or operator of a private establishment may require the display of official credentials issued by the company, which must be licensed by the Private Detective and Protective Agent Services Board, that employs the security guard and the guard's permit card prior to granting the guard entrance into the private establishment.
Subd. 18. Employers; public colleges and universities.
1. An employer, whether public or private, may establish policies that restrict the carry or possession of firearms by its employees while acting in the course and scope of employment. Employment related civil sanctions may be invoked for a violation.
2. A public postsecondary institution regulated under chapter 136F or 137 may establish policies that restrict the carry or possession of firearms by its students while on the institution's property. Academic sanctions may be invoked for a violation.
3. Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), an employer or a postsecondary institution may not prohibit the lawful carry or possession of firearms in a parking facility or parking area.
Subd. 19. Immunity.
Neither a sheriff, police chief, any employee of a sheriff or police chief involved in the permit issuing process, nor any certified instructor is liable for damages resulting or arising from acts with a firearm committed by a permit holder, unless the person had actual knowledge at the time the permit was issued or the instruction was given that the applicant was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
Subd. 20. Monitoring.
1. By March 1, 2004, and each year thereafter, the commissioner must report to the legislature on:
  1. the number of permits applied for, issued, suspended, revoked, and denied, further categorized by the age, sex, and zip code of the applicant or permit holder, since the previous submission, and in total;
  2. the number of permits currently valid;
  3. the specific reasons for each suspension, revocation, and denial and the number of reversed, canceled, or corrected actions;
  4. without expressly identifying an applicant, the number of denials or revocations based on the grounds under subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3), the factual basis for each denial or revocation, and the result of an appeal, if any, including the court's findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order;
  5. the number of convictions and types of crimes committed since the previous submission, and in total, by individuals with permits including data as to whether a firearm lawfully carried solely by virtue of a permit was actually used in furtherance of the crime;
  6. to the extent known or determinable, data on the lawful and justifiable use of firearms by permit holders; and
  7. the status of the segregated funds reported to the commissioner under subdivision 21.
2. Sheriffs and police chiefs must supply the Department of Public Safety with the basic data the department requires to complete the report under paragraph (a). Sheriffs and police chiefs may submit data classified as private to the Department of Public Safety under this paragraph.
3. Copies of the report under paragraph (a) must be made available to the public at the actual cost of duplication.
4. Nothing contained in any provision of this section or any other law requires or authorizes the registration, documentation, collection, or providing of serial numbers or other data on firearms or on firearms' owners.
Subd. 21. Use of fees.
Fees collected by sheriffs under this section and not forwarded to the commissioner must be used only to pay the direct costs of administering this section. Fee money may be used to pay the costs of appeals of prevailing applicants or permit holders under subdivision 8, paragraph (c); subdivision 12, paragraph (e); and subdivision 16, paragraph (c). Fee money may also be used to pay the reasonable costs of the county attorney to represent the sheriff in proceedings under this section. The revenues must be maintained in a segregated fund. Fund balances must be carried over from year to year and do not revert to any other fund. As part of the information supplied under subdivision 20, paragraph (b), by January 31 of each year, a sheriff must report to the commissioner on the sheriff's segregated fund for the preceding calendar year, including information regarding:
1. nature and amount of revenues;
2. nature and amount of expenditures; and
3. nature and amount of balances.
Subd. 22. Short title; construction; severability.
This section may be cited as the Minnesota Citizens' Personal Protection Act of 2003. The legislature of the state of Minnesota recognizes and declares that the second amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms. The provisions of this section are declared to be necessary to accomplish compelling state interests in regulation of those rights. The terms of this section must be construed according to the compelling state interest test. The invalidation of any provision of this section shall not invalidate any other provision.
Subd. 23. Exclusivity.
This section sets forth the complete and exclusive criteria and procedures for the issuance of permits to carry and establishes their nature and scope. No sheriff, police chief, governmental unit, government official, government employee, or other person or body acting under color of law or governmental authority may change, modify, or supplement these criteria or procedures, or limit the exercise of a permit to carry.
Subd. 24. Predatory offenders.
Except when acting under the authority of other law, it is a misdemeanor for a person required to register by section 243.166 to carry a pistol whether or not the carrier possesses a permit to carry issued under this section. If an action prohibited by this subdivision is also a violation of another law, the violation may be prosecuted under either law.

History: 1975 c 378 s 4; 1976 c 269 s 1; 1977 c 349 s 3; 1983 c 264 s 10; 1986 c 444; 1992 c 571 art 15 s 8,9; 1993 c 326 art 1 s 32; 1994 c 618 art 1 s 45,46; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 38-40; 1998 c 254 art 2 s 69; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 4-28,34; 2005 c 83 s 1,3-10; 2009 c 139 s 6; 2017 HF470 s 25;

Subdivision 1. Transfer prohibited.
A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor who intentionally transfers a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to another if the person knows that the transferee:
1. has been denied a permit to carry under section 624.714 because the transferee is not eligible under section 624.713 to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon;
2. has been found ineligible to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon by a chief of police or sheriff as a result of an application for a transferee permit or a transfer report; or
3. is disqualified under section 624.713 from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.
Subd. 2. Felony.
A violation of this section is a felony if the transferee possesses or uses the weapon within one year after the transfer in furtherance of a felony crime of violence.
Subd. 3. Subsequent eligibility.
This section is not applicable to a transfer to a person who became eligible to possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon under section 624.713 after the transfer occurred but before the transferee used or possessed the weapon in furtherance of any crime.

History: 1994 c 636 art 3 s 41

Subdivision 1. Acts prohibited.
A person may not carry a pistol on or about the person's clothes or person in a public place:
1. when the person is under the influence of a controlled substance, as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 4;
2. when the person is under the influence of a combination of any two or more of the elements named in clauses (1) and (4);
3. when the person is knowingly under the influence of any chemical compound or combination of chemical compounds that is listed as a hazardous substance in rules adopted under section 182.655 and that affects the nervous system, brain, or muscles of the person so as to impair the person's clearness of intellect or physical control;
4. when the person is under the influence of alcohol;
5. when the person's alcohol concentration is 0.10 or more; or
6. when the person's alcohol concentration is less than 0.10, but more than 0.04.
Subd. 2. Arrest.
A peace officer may arrest a person for a violation under subdivision 1 without a warrant upon probable cause, without regard to whether the violation was committed in the officer's presence.
Subd. 3. Preliminary screening test.
When an officer authorized under subdivision 2 to make arrests has reason to believe that the person may be violating or has violated subdivision 1, the officer may require the person to provide a breath sample for a preliminary screening test using a device approved by the commissioner for this purpose. The results of the preliminary screening test must be used for the purpose of deciding whether an arrest should be made under this section and whether to require the chemical tests authorized in section 624.7143, but may not be used in any court action except: (1) to prove that the test was properly required of a person under section 624.7143, or (2) in a civil action arising out of the use of the pistol. Following the preliminary screening test, additional tests may be required of the person as provided under section 624.7143. A person who refuses a breath sample is subject to the provisions of section 624.7143 unless, in compliance with that section, the person submits to a blood, breath, or urine test to determine the presence of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Subd. 4. Evidence.
In a prosecution for a violation of subdivision 1, the admission of evidence of the amount of alcohol or a controlled substance in the person's blood, breath, or urine is governed by section 169A.45.
Subd. 5. Suspension.
A person who is charged with a violation under this section may have their authority to carry a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person under the provisions of a permit or otherwise suspended by the court as a condition of release.
Subd. 6. Penalties.
1. A person who violates a prohibition under subdivision 1, clauses (1) to (5), is guilty of a misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor.
2. A person who violates subdivision 1, clause (6), is guilty of a misdemeanor.
3. In addition to the penalty imposed under paragraph (a), if a person violates subdivision 1, clauses (1) to (5), the person's authority to carry a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person under the provisions of a permit or otherwise is revoked and the person may not reapply for a period of one year from the date of conviction.
4. In addition to the penalty imposed under paragraph (b), if a person violates subdivision 1, clause (6), the person's authority to carry a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person under the provisions of a permit or otherwise is suspended for 180 days from the date of conviction.
5. Notwithstanding section 609.531, a firearm carried in violation of subdivision 1, clause (6), is not subject to forfeiture.
Subd. 7. Reporting.
Suspensions and revocations under this section must be reported in the same manner as in section 624.714, subdivision 12a.

History: 2003 c 28 art 2 s 29,34; 2005 c 83 s 1

Subdivision 1. Mandatory chemical testing.
A person who carries a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person is required, subject to the provisions of this section, to take or submit to a test of the person's blood, breath, or urine for the purpose of determining the presence and amount of alcohol or a controlled substance. The test shall be administered at the direction of an officer authorized to make arrests under section 624.7142 Taking or submitting to the test is mandatory when requested by an officer who has probable cause to believe the person was carrying a pistol in violation of section 624.7142, and one of the following conditions exists:
1. the person has been lawfully placed under arrest for violating section 624.7142;
2. the person has been involved while carrying a firearm in a firearms-related accident resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death;
3. the person has refused to take the preliminary screening test provided for in section 624.7142; or
4. the screening test was administered and indicated an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more.
Subd. 2. Penalties; refusal; revocation.
1. If a person refuses to take a test required under subdivision 1, none must be given but the officer shall report the refusal to the sheriff and to the authority having responsibility for prosecution of misdemeanor offenses for the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred that gave rise to the test demand and refusal. On certification by the officer that probable cause existed to believe the person had been carrying a pistol on or about the person's clothes or person in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, and that the person refused to submit to testing, a court may impose a civil penalty of $500 and may revoke the person's authority to carry a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person under the provisions of a permit or otherwise for a period of one year from the date of the refusal. The person shall be accorded notice and an opportunity to be heard prior to imposition of the civil penalty or the revocation.
2. Revocations under this subdivision must be reported in the same manner as in section 624.714, subdivision 12a.
Subd. 3. Rights and obligations.
At the time a test is requested, the person must be informed that:
1. Minnesota law requires a person to take a test to determine if the person is under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance;
2. if the person refuses to take the test, the person is subject to a civil penalty of $500 and is prohibited for a period of one year from carrying a pistol in a public place on or about the person's clothes or person, as provided under subdivision 2; and
3. that the person has the right to consult with an attorney, but that this right is limited to the extent it cannot unreasonably delay administration of the test or the person will be deemed to have refused the test.
Subd. 4. Requirement of blood or urine test.
Notwithstanding subdivision 1, if there is probable cause to believe there is impairment by a controlled substance that is not subject to testing by a breath test, a blood or urine test may be required even after a breath test has been administered.
Subd. 5. Chemical tests.
Chemical tests administered under this section are governed by section 169A.51 in all aspects that are not inconsistent with this section.

History: 2003 c 28 art 2 s 30; 2005 c 83 s 1

A person who accepts a transferred firearm from an abusing party or offender pursuant to section 260C.201, subdivision 3; section 518B.01, subdivision 6; section 609.2242, subdivision 3; or section 609.749, subdivision 8, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if the abusing party or offender obtains possession of the transferred firearm while the person is prohibited from possessing firearms. It is an affirmative defense to a violation of this section that the third party who accepted the transferred firearm exercised due care to ensure that the abusing party or offender could not access the firearm. The third party shall not return the firearm to the abusing party or offender until the prohibiting time period imposed under section 260C.201, subdivision 3; section 518B.01, subdivision 6; section 609.2242, subdivision 3; or section 609.749, subdivision 8, has expired and the abusing party or offender presents a current, valid transferee permit or passes a federal background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The third party may rely on a court order describing the length of the prohibiting time period as conclusive evidence that the prohibiting time period has expired, unless otherwise notified by the court.

History: 2014 c 213 s 6

Sections 624.713 and 624.714 shall not apply to antique firearms which are carried or possessed as curiosities or for their historical significance or value.

History: 1975 c 378 s 5

By December 1, 1992, the commissioner shall adopt statewide standards governing the form and contents, as required by sections 624.7131 to 624.714, of every application for a pistol transferee permit, pistol transferee permit, report of transfer of a pistol, application for a permit to carry a pistol, and permit to carry a pistol that is granted or renewed on or after January 1, 1993.

Every application for a pistol transferee permit, pistol transferee permit, report of transfer of a pistol, application for a permit to carry a pistol, and permit to carry a pistol that is received, granted, or renewed by a police chief or county sheriff on or after January 1, 1993, must meet the statewide standards adopted by the commissioner. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, neither failure of the Department of Public Safety to adopt standards nor failure of the police chief or county sheriff to meet them shall delay the timely processing of applications nor invalidate permits issued on other forms meeting the requirements of sections 624.7131 to 624.714.

History: 1992 c 571 art 15 s 10; 1997 c 187 art 2 s 15; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 34

Any federally licensed firearms dealer who sells a Saturday night special pistol, or any person who manufactures or assembles a Saturday night special pistol in whole or in part, shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

History: 1975 c 378 s 6

Subdivision 1. Definitions.
1. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.
2. "Firearms dealer" means a dealer federally licensed to sell pistols who operates a retail business in which pistols are sold from a permanent business location other than the dealer's home.
3. "Small firearms dealer" means a firearms dealer who operates a retail business at which no more than 50 pistols are displayed for sale at any time.
4. "Large firearms dealer" means a firearms dealer who operates a retail business at which more than 50 pistols are displayed for sale at any time.
Subd. 2. Security measures required.
After business hours when the dealer's place of business is unattended, a small firearms dealer shall place all pistols that are located in the dealer's place of business in a locked safe or locked steel gun cabinet, or on a locked, hardened steel rod or cable that runs through the pistol's trigger guards. The safe, gun cabinet, rod, or cable must be anchored to prevent its removal from the premises.
Subd. 3. Security standards.
The commissioner shall adopt standards specifying minimum security requirements for small and large firearms dealers. By January 1, 1993, all firearms dealers shall comply with the standards. The standards may provide for:
1. alarm systems for small and large firearms dealers;
2. site hardening and other necessary and effective security measures required for large firearms dealers;
3. a system of inspections, during normal business hours, by local law enforcement officials for compliance with the standards; and
4. other reasonable requirements necessary and effective to reduce the risk of burglaries at firearms dealers' business establishments.

History: 1992 c 571 art 15 s 11; 2003 c 28 art 2 s 34

Subdivision 1. Firearms dealers.
For purposes of this section, a firearms dealer is any person who is federally licensed to sell firearms from any location.
Subd. 2. Notice required.
In each business location where firearms are sold by a firearms dealer, the dealer shall post in a conspicuous location the following warning in block letters not less than one inch in height: "IT IS UNLAWFUL TO STORE OR LEAVE A LOADED FIREARM WHERE A CHILD CAN OBTAIN ACCESS."
Subd. 3. Fine.
A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a petty misdemeanor and may be fined not more than $300.

History: 1993 c 326 art 1 s 33; 2004 c 228 art 1 s 72

Sections 624.711 to 624.716 shall be construed to supersede municipal or county regulation of the carrying or possessing of pistols and the regulation of Saturday night special pistols.

History: 1975 c 378 s 7; 1985 c 144 s 3

Subdivision 1. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given them.
1. "BB gun" means a device that fires or ejects a shot measuring .18 of an inch or less in diameter.
2. "Carry" does not include:
  1. the carrying of a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun to, from, or at a place where firearms are repaired, bought, sold, traded, or displayed, or where hunting, target shooting, or other lawful activity involving firearms occurs, or at funerals, parades, or other lawful ceremonies;
  2. the carrying by a person of a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun that is unloaded and in a gun case expressly made to contain a firearm, if the case fully encloses the firearm by being zipped, snapped, buckled, tied, or otherwise fastened, and no portion of the firearm is exposed;
  3. the carrying of a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun by a person who has a permit under section 624.714;
  4. the carrying of an antique firearm as a curiosity or for its historical significance or value; or
  5. the transporting of a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun in compliance with section 97B.045.
3. "Public place" means property owned, leased, or controlled by a governmental unit and private property that is regularly and frequently open to or made available for use by the public in sufficient numbers to give clear notice of the property's current dedication to public use but does not include: a person's dwelling house or premises, the place of business owned or managed by the person, or land possessed by the person; a gun show, gun shop, or hunting or target shooting facility; or the woods, fields, or waters of this state where the person is present lawfully for the purpose of hunting or target shooting or other lawful activity involving firearms.
Subd. 2. Penalties.
Whoever carries a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun on or about the person in a public place is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. A person under the age of 21 who carries a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 7, on or about the person in a public place is guilty of a felony.
Subd. 3. Exceptions.
This section does not apply to officers, employees, or agents of law enforcement agencies or the armed forces of this state or the United States, or private detectives or protective agents, to the extent that these persons are authorized by law to carry firearms and are acting in the scope of their official duties.

History: 1993 c 326 art 1 s 34; 1994 c 576 s 58; 1994 c 636 art 3 s 42

A nonresident alien may not possess a firearm except to take game as a nonresident under the game and fish laws. A firearm possessed in violation of this section is contraband and may be confiscated.

History: 1986 c 386 art 4 s 32

Subdivision 1. Intent.
This section is designed to give law enforcement officers performing their official duties a reasonable degree of protection from penetration of quality body armor. It is not the intent of this section to restrict the availability of ammunition for personal defense, sporting, or hunting purposes.
Subd. 2. Definition.
For purposes of this section, "metal-penetrating bullet" means a handgun bullet of 9 mm, .25, .32, .357, .38, .41, .44, or .451 caliber which is comprised of a hardened core equal to the minimum of the maximum attainable hardness by solid red metal alloys which purposely reduces the normal expansion or mushrooming of the bullet's shape upon impact. "Metal-penetrating bullet" excludes any bullet composed of copper or brass jacket with lead or lead alloy cores and any bullet composed of lead or lead alloys.
Subd. 3. Use or possession in commission of crime.
Any person who uses or possesses a metal-penetrating bullet during the commission of a crime is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. Any imprisonment sentence imposed under this subdivision shall run consecutively to any sentence imposed for the other crime.
Subd. 4. Local regulation.
This section shall be construed to supersede any municipal or county regulation of ammunition, including its component parts.

History: 1982 c 525 s 1; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11

Minnesota Firearm Laws

TITLE - GOVERNMENT MISCELLANY

Chapter 12 - Emergency Management

§12.21 - Governor

§12.32 - Governor's Orders And Rules, Effect

TITLE - GAME AND FISH

CHAPTER 97B - Hunting

§97B.045 - Transportation Of Firearms

TITLE - MUNICIPALITIES

CHAPTER 471 - Municipal Rights, Powers, Duties

§471.633 - Firearms

TITLE - CRIMES, CRIMINALS

CHAPTER 609 - Criminal Code

§609.06 - (2013) Authorized Use Of Force

§609.065 - Justifiable Taking Of Life

§609.165 - Restoration Of Civil Rights; Possession Of Firearms

§609.66 - Dangerous Weapons

§609.661 - Penalty For Set Guns; Swivel Guns

§609.663 - Display Of Handgun Ammunition

§609.665 - Spring Guns

§609.666 - Negligent Storage Of Firearms

§609.667 - Firearms; Removal Or Alteration Of Serial Number

§609.668 - Explosive And Incendiary Devices

§609.669 - Civil Disorder

§609.67 - Machine Guns And Short-barreled Shotguns

§609.672 - Permissive Inference; Firearms In Automobiles

CHAPTER 624 - Crimes, Other Provisions

§624.71 - Gun Control; Application Of Federal Law

§624.711 - Declaration Of Policy

§624.712 - Definitions

§624.713 - (2016) Certain Persons Not To Possess Firearms

§624.7131 - Transferee Permit; Penalty

§624.7132 - Report Of Transfer

§624.714 - Carrying Of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties

§624.7141 - Transfer To Ineligible Person

§624.7142 - Carrying While Under Influence Of Alcohol Or Controlled Substance

§624.7143 - Chemical Testing

§624.7144 - (2014) Allowing An Ineligible Person Access To Firearms

§624.715 - Exemptions; Antiques And Ornaments

§624.7151 - Standardized Forms

§624.716 - Saturday Night Specials Prohibited; Penalty

§624.7161 - Firearms Dealers; Certain Security Measures Required

§624.7162 - Firearms Dealers; Safety Requirements

§624.717 - Local Regulation

§624.7181 - Rifles And Shotguns In Public Places

§624.719 - Possession Of Firearm By Nonresident Alien

§624.7191 - Metal-Penetrating Bullets