State Law Background
Among other things, Minnesota:
- Makes it a crime for an unlicensed person to transfer a firearm without a background check under certain very limited circumstances;
- Imposes child access prevention requirements upon gun owners;
- Prohibits firearm possession by certain misdemeanants and domestic abusers;
- Requires individuals purchasing certain kinds of firearms from a licensed dealer to undergo a background check in addition to the federally required background check, and either comply with a waiting period or obtain a permit;
- Regulates unsafe handguns; and
- Provides some regulation of the possession and sale of certain “semiautomatic military-style assault weapons,” although the state does not generally ban assault weapons.
Minnesota does not, however:
- Require a background check prior to most transfers of firearms between unlicensed parties;
- Require firearms dealers to obtain a license, although they must comply with certain security measures;
- Require firearm owners to obtain a license, register their firearms, or report lost or stolen firearms;
- Restrict 50 caliber rifles or large capacity ammunition magazines; or
- Limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time.
Local governments in Minnesota generally lack authority to regulate firearms or ammunition, and Minnesota generally requires county sheriffs to issue a permit to carry a handgun to any applicant who meets certain basic qualifications.
In 2017, Minnesota had the eighth lowest gun death rate among the states. Minnesota also supplied crime guns to other states at less than half the national rate, and the state imported more crime guns than it exported.
Minnesota Firearms Laws
For details about specific firearms laws in Minnesota, choose a topic below, or see all of the firearms laws in this state.
People Prohibited from Firearm Possession
Prohibited Purchasers Generally
Minimum Age to Purchase & Possess
Domestic Violence & Firearms
Disarming Prohibited Persons
Sales & Transfers
Background Checks
Mental Health Reporting
Multiple Purchases & Sales of Firearms
Retention of Sales & Background Check Records
Waiting Periods
Gun Dealers & Other Sellers
Dealer Regulations
Private Sales
Gun Shows
Gun Owner Responsibilities
Licensing of Gun Owners & Purchasers
Registration of Firearms
Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms
Firearms in Public Places
Concealed Weapons Permitting
Open Carrying
Guns in Vehicles
Guns in Schools
Other Location Restrictions
Consumer & Child Safety
Design Safety Standards for Handguns
Locking Devices
Personalized & Owner-Authorized Firearms
Child Access Prevention
Classes of Weapons & Ammunition
Assault Weapons
Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines
Fifty Caliber Rifles
Machine Guns & Automatic Firearms
Non-Powder Guns
Ammunition Regulation
Investigating Gun Crimes
Microstamping & Ballistic Identification
Trafficking
Other Laws
State “Right to Bear Arms”
Local Authority to Regulate Firearms
Immunity Statutes