Require Firearm Registration, Regulation, And Safety Measures To Promote Responsible And Safe Gun Ownership In The State

Of Minnesota.

 

The purpose of this bill is to promote safe and responsible firearm ownership by implementing additional measures to

ensure Minnesotans are responsible firearm owners. The purpose of this bill is not to ban or heavily restrict firearm

possession. Through the implementation of a mandatory registration for all semiautomatic military-style assault weapons,

an increase in the age minimum to 21 to purchase a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon and a handgun, and the

requirement to report stolen firearms. These measures aim to reduce firearm-related violence, enhance public safety, and

promote responsible firearm ownership in the State of Minnesota.

 

 

Following the Annunciation Church shooting in Southwest Minneapolis involving the use of a NATO 5.56 AR-15-style

semi-automatic rifle, resulting in the tragic deaths of two students and injuries to fifteen others, it is clear that

regulation promoting safe and responsible firearm ownership is necessary.

According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the CDC (2023), 46723 people died due to gun violence

in the United States, which is one person every 11 minutes. Sixty percent of these deaths were suicides, and 79 percent

of homicides were committed using a firearm. In Minnesota, 525 gun deaths were reported, 128 homicides, and 379

suicides, with firearms as the 4th leading cause of death in youth ages 1-17. Gun-violence deaths rose by 35% from 2014

to 2023 - the 6th highest increase nationwide. Firearms were linked to 65% of homicides and 47% of suicides, costing

Minnesotans $6 billion annually. Strengthening regulation is necessary to reduce these preventable deaths and promote

responsible firearm ownership. Additionally, according to the Everytown Research and Policy Center (2024), in 2024, 228

incidents of gunfire occurred on school grounds, resulting in 59 deaths and 169 injuries. Over 4.6 million youth live in

households with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.

Many of these regulatory proposals are already in effect in other states. According to the Everytown Research and Policy

Center (2025), 17 states, including Michigan and Illinois, require firearm owners to report firearm thefts within a

certain timeframe. This has been found to reduce illegal gun movements by 46%. Twenty-one states, including Florida and

Ohio, have raised the minimum purchasing age of firearms to 21, which has decreased suicide rates with a firearm by 31%

among individuals aged 18 to 20. The data is clear that regulating and implementing measures to promote responsible and

safe firearm ownership decreases suicides, homicides, crime, and firearm accidents.

 

 

“Gun Violence” - The use of a firearm to commit violence, including criminal acts like homicide and assault, as well as

non-criminal acts such as suicide and accidental shooting.

“Registration” - The mandatory registration of all semiautomatic military-style assault weapons with the State of

Minnesota through local law enforcement, using forms provided by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Registration

shall be renewed every 5 years. Semiautomatic military-style assault weapons transferred through a private sale or other

means must be re-registered within thirty days of the transfer or a change in ownership.

“Safety” - The requirement that firearm owners have 48 hours to report their firearms stolen upon discovery to local law

enforcement.

“Regulation” - A person must be of age 21 and above to purchase a handgun or semiautomatic military-style assault

weapon, and all handguns produced and sold after 2050 must have microstamping technology.

“Microstamping Technology” - Microstamping marks bullets and cartridge cases with a unique fingerprint each time a

firearm is discharged. Microstamping allows law enforcement who recover spent casings at the scene of a shooting to

identify the gun used to commit the crime.

“Upon Discovery” - The 48-hour reporting period begins when the owner knew or reasonably should have known that the

firearm was missing.

“Semiautomatic military-style assault weapon” - as defined in Minnesota Statutes Section 624.712 Subdivision 7-8.

“Handgun” - as defined in Minnesota Statutes Section 624.712 Subdivision 2

“Firearm” - as defined in Minnesota Statutes Section 624.712 Subdivision 2 through 4 and Subdivision 7 through 8.

“Excise Tax” - A tax imposed on the sale or transfer of firearms within the State of Minnesota.

 

 

A registration fee of $75 shall be assessed for each semiautomatic military-style assault weapon registered.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue administers a firearm excise tax of 5% on the purchase of firearms. The excise tax

shall only apply to initial retail firearm purchases, not private transfers. Revenue collected under these taxes and

fees shall be used to fund firearm registration systems, public safety initiatives, and gun safety education

administered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

 

 

Failure to report a firearm being stolen within 48 hours upon discovery may result in a fine of up to $500.

Failure to register your assault rifle-style firearms with the State of Minnesota can result in up to a $2500 fine, and

failure to update registration following a transfer of ownership may result in a fine of up to $500.

No firearm shall be seized except under a court order following notice and an opportunity for the owner to be heard.

Enforcement shall be carried out by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in coordination with the Minnesota State

Patrol and local law enforcement.

 

 

This will take effect on January 1, 2028.