Firearm law reference

Minnesota Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Minnesota firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Minnesota distinguishes pistols and statutory semiautomatic military-style assault weapons from ordinary rifles and shotguns. Private-transfer procedures, permits to purchase and carry, vehicle rules, negligent-storage law, ERPOs, and federal law must be considered separately.

Minnesota Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Minimum age to buy or possess: 18-21 depending on firearm, seller, and supervision
A federally licensed dealer must sell a handgun to someone 21 or older but can sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older, and Minnesota separately bars a person under 18 from possessing a pistol or defined assault weapon while allowing narrower rifle and shotgun possession by minors as young as 14. See the handgun and rifle/shotgun comparison table below for the full breakdown. [8][25][28]
Permit to carry: Required for public pistol carry
County sheriffs issue statewide permits after approved training and eligibility review. The statutory age-21 language is subject to the controlling Worth decision protecting qualified applicants ages eighteen through twenty. [6]
Private sale background check: Required for pistols and defined assault weapons
A private transfer of a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon generally must use an FFL background check or a valid transferee permit, subject to family and other exceptions. [4][1]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
FFL required for private transfers	Permit alternative available	An FFL is not mandatory if the recipient presents a valid transferee permit and identification and the parties complete and retain the required form; interstate transfers ordinarily require an FFL. [4][1][27]
Permit to purchase or transfer	Permit or transfer report for covered weapons	A one-year permit to purchase or a permit to carry avoids the transfer-report process for a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon; without one, the transferor generally must file a transfer report and await clearance or expiration of the statutory period. [3][5][1]
Waiting period	Up to 30 days on transfer-report route	Without a valid permit to purchase or carry, delivery of a pistol or defined assault weapon generally must wait up to 30 days after the transfer report is delivered, unless law enforcement waives some or all of the period. [5][3]
Firearm registration	No general registry	Minnesota does not maintain a general registry of every ordinary firearm, although covered transfer forms and dealer records must be retained. [4][1]
Firearm owner license	No general requirement	Minnesota requires no recurring general license merely to own an otherwise lawful firearm. [8]
Permitless concealed carry	No	A person generally needs a Minnesota permit to carry a pistol in public or in a motor vehicle, whether concealed or openly carried. [6]
Open carry	Permit required	Minnesota's permit to carry covers public pistol carry without distinguishing open from concealed carry; open carry without a permit is generally unlawful. [6]
Vehicle carry	Permit or unloaded-and-cased transport	A permit holder may carry a pistol in a vehicle; otherwise a firearm generally must be unloaded and fully cased or placed unloaded in the closed trunk. [6][7]
Magazine capacity	No state limit	Minnesota imposes no general magazine-capacity restriction. [2][17]
Assault weapons	No possession ban; purchase rules apply	Minnesota defines semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and regulates their acquisition, but does not generally ban possession of the category. [2][3][4]
NFA firearms	Mixed	Suppressors and federally compliant short-barreled rifles are generally allowed, while machine guns and short-barreled shotguns are restricted to narrow listed categories and require state reporting. [11][30]
Extreme risk protection orders	Yes	A qualifying petitioner may seek an emergency or longer-term ERPO barring firearm possession and requiring surrender. [15]
Safe storage	Loaded-firearm child-access rule	A person commits a gross misdemeanor by negligently leaving a loaded firearm where a child under eighteen is likely to gain access unless reasonable action secures it. [10]
Lost or stolen reporting	No general owner deadline	Minnesota imposes no general statewide reporting deadline on an ordinary firearm owner, though prompt reporting aids recovery. [10][6]
State preemption	Broad	Minnesota broadly preempts local firearm, ammunition, and component regulation, while allowing discharge rules, provisions identical to state law, and limited nondiscriminatory zoning of firearm dealers. [17][18]
Bill of sale	Official transfer form for covered private transfers	A covered non-FFL pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault-weapon transfer requires the official private-party form to be retained for ten years; an informal receipt alone is insufficient. [4][1]
Castle doctrine / duty to retreat	No duty to retreat inside your home; duty to retreat elsewhere	Minnesota courts do not require retreat before using force against an intruder inside your own home, but Minnesota still recognizes a duty to retreat before using deadly force in public when a safe retreat is available, and the state has no stand-your-ground statute. [23][24]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Minnesota

Minnesota law treats pistols and defined semiautomatic military-style assault weapons differently from ordinary rifles and shotguns in a few specific places: dealer purchase age, the age at which a minor may possess the firearm, and whether a permit or transfer report applies before it changes hands. Topics not listed here, such as safe storage or restricted locations, apply the same way to both firearm categories.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Minimum age to buy from a licensed dealer	21	18 [28]
Minimum age to possess without an adult present	Generally 18, with narrow supervised-training and safety-course exceptions	Generally 16, though a 14- or 15-year-old may possess one alone with a firearms safety certificateThe pistol and defined assault-weapon age floor comes from Minnesota Statutes Section 624.713; the rifle and shotgun age floor comes from the separate game-and-fish statute, Section 97B.021. [8][25]
Permit to purchase or transfer report required	Yes, for a pistol or a defined semiautomatic military-style assault weapon	No, for an ordinary rifle or shotgun [3][5][4]
Minimum age to buy ammunition from a dealer	21 for handgun ammunition	18 for rifle or shotgun ammunition [28]

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Private Sales and Transfers

Quick answer

An unlicensed person generally may transfer a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to another unlicensed person only through an FFL or after the recipient presents a valid transferee permit and current identification, subject to statutory exceptions. [4][1]

For the dealer route, both parties appear with the firearm and the FFL processes the transaction under the federal and state rules that would apply to a firearm from the dealer's own inventory; the dealer may charge a reasonable fee. When the permit route is used instead, both parties must sign each page of the state form, attach copies of their current identification and the recipient's permit, identify the firearm and serial number, and keep the complete record for ten years. Digital copies are acceptable, but either party must produce the record if a peace officer requests it as part of a criminal investigation. [4][1]
The private-transfer procedure does not apply to transfers between spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren. It also excludes specified estate transfers, antiques, qualifying curio-and-relic collector transfers, and narrowly defined temporary transfers for an imminent emergency, at a lawful range, or while hunting. An exemption from the paperwork does not authorize transfer to a prohibited person. [4][14]
Minnesota makes it a felony to intentionally transfer any firearm when the transferor knows or reasonably should know that the recipient was denied as ineligible or is disqualified from possessing it. Ordinary long-gun transfers also remain subject to federal residency and interstate-transfer rules; a direct private transfer generally cannot cross state lines without an FFL in the recipient's state. [14][27]

Classify the firearm and determine whether the recipient has a valid permit to purchase or carry. [2][1]
Use an FFL or complete and retain the official private-party form for ten years. [4][1]

Important notice: An informal bill of sale does not replace the official form, permit verification, identification, or FFL background check required for a covered transfer. [4]

Buying a Firearm

A buyer without a permit to carry generally needs a permit to purchase a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon. The buyer applies to the full-time police department where the buyer resides, or to the county sheriff if there is no such department. The permit is free, valid statewide for one year, and the issuing authority must issue or deny it within 30 days after application. [1][3][6]
A valid permit to carry serves as a transferee permit. Without either permit, a dealer or other transferor of a pistol or defined assault weapon uses the transfer-report process: the report goes to the buyer's police chief or sheriff, and delivery generally cannot occur until 30 days later unless the agency completes the checks and waives some or all of that period. This is a conditional waiting period, not an additional delay after a valid permit is presented. [5][3][6]
Minnesota generally bars a person under eighteen from possessing a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, with supervised training, competition, military-drill, and approved safety-course exceptions. Federal dealers may transfer rifles and shotguns only to buyers at least eighteen and handguns or other firearms only to buyers at least twenty-one, and the dealer must complete the federal background-check and record process. [8][28][29]

Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Minnesota's prohibited-person statute covers more than felony convictions. It includes people convicted or adjudicated delinquent for a statutory crime of violence, specified domestic assaults and gross misdemeanors, certain controlled-substance convictions, qualifying civil commitments or incompetency findings, people in diversion for a crime of violence, and people subject to specified protection orders or an ERPO. Federal prohibitions can apply independently. [8][15][29]
A crime-of-violence disability is generally for life even after ordinary civil rights are restored. A person released from physical confinement may petition a court for restoration and must show good cause; after a denial, another petition generally cannot be filed for three years without the court's permission. A person disqualified because of a qualifying civil commitment may use the separate restoration procedure in section 624.713, which focuses on public safety and the public interest. [8][9]
A family or household member, guardian, specified prosecutor, or law-enforcement official may petition for an ERPO. An emergency order lasts 14 days, while an order entered after a hearing lasts six months to one year and may be renewed; either form prohibits purchase and possession and triggers the statutory transfer or surrender process. [15][16]

Concealed and Open Carry

A permit is generally required to carry a pistol in public, openly or concealed, and the same permit covers both methods. Residents apply to their county sheriff; nonresidents may apply to any Minnesota sheriff. An applicant must provide qualifying handgun training completed within the preceding year, pass the eligibility review, and receive an issued permit that is valid statewide for five years. [6][1]
Although the statutory text still says age twenty-one, the Revisor's official note states that Worth v. Jacobson invalidated that restriction for otherwise qualified applicants ages eighteen through twenty, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied review in 2025. Permit holders must carry the permit and photo identification and, when a peace officer asks, display them and disclose whether they are currently carrying a firearm. [6]
Minnesota recognizes only permits on the BCA's current approved-state list; a visitor remains subject to Minnesota's carry and location rules. Carrying a pistol in public while under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, a controlled substance, or another listed intoxicant is prohibited, and an alcohol concentration over 0.04 triggers a separate offense and permit consequences. [6][21][13]

Self-Defense and Deadly Force in Minnesota

Quick answer

Minnesota has no codified stand-your-ground statute. Minnesota Statutes 609.06 and 609.065 authorize reasonable and, in narrow circumstances, deadly force in self-defense and to prevent a felony in your home, and Minnesota courts recognize a duty to retreat that does not apply inside your own home. A criminal-law self-defense justification is not a guarantee against a civil lawsuit for the same conduct. [23][24]

Section 609.06 authorizes reasonable force, used without the other person's consent, in ten listed circumstances, including resisting or preventing an offense against the person and resisting a trespass upon or other unlawful interference with property; it does not by itself authorize deadly force. [23]
Section 609.065 separately governs deadly force: intentionally taking another's life is not authorized under Section 609.06 except when necessary to resist or prevent an offense the actor reasonably believes exposes the actor or another to great bodily harm or death, or to prevent commission of a felony in the actor's place of abode. Minnesota courts have read the dwelling exception narrowly, generally requiring that the felony itself pose a risk of death or serious harm rather than treating any felony in the home as sufficient. [24]
Minnesota has no statutory stand-your-ground rule. Minnesota courts apply a common-law duty to retreat before using deadly force outside the actor's own home when a safe retreat is available, but do not require an occupant to retreat before defending against an intruder inside the home itself. This castle-doctrine exception is judicially recognized rather than spelled out in the text of Section 609.06 or 609.065. [23][24]

Important notice: Minnesota has no statute granting civil immunity to a person whose use of force was legally justified in a criminal case. A prosecutor's decision not to charge, or an acquittal, does not by itself prevent the other party or their estate from suing for damages in civil court, where the lower preponderance-of-the-evidence standard applies. Every self-defense situation is fact-specific and high-stakes; get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [23][24]

Transportation and Vehicles

A person with a valid carry permit may carry a handgun in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, or boat. Without permit authority, a firearm generally must be unloaded and either fully enclosed in a gun case made for a firearm and fastened with no part exposed, or placed in the vehicle's closed trunk. [6][7]
Limited state exceptions allow certain disabled permit holders and allow an unloaded, uncased non-pistol while lawfully hunting, at a shooting range with permission, or traveling to or from a same-day hunt. The hunting and range exception does not apply in Anoka, Hennepin, or Ramsey County, in a city of at least 2,500 people, on school grounds, or where another listed hunting restriction applies. [7]
Federal safe passage may protect interstate travel only when possession is lawful at both the origin and destination and the firearm is unloaded and not readily accessible; ammunition must likewise be inaccessible, and a locked container other than the glove compartment or console is required when the vehicle has no separate compartment. It is a defense for qualifying travel, not a substitute for a Minnesota carry permit during ordinary in-state vehicle carry. [31][6][7]

Restricted Firearms and Magazines

Minnesota has no general magazine-capacity limit and does not generally ban possession of a firearm merely because it meets the state's semiautomatic military-style assault-weapon definition. That classification matters at acquisition: the permit, transfer-report, dealer, and private-transfer rules that apply to pistols also apply to the defined weapons. [2][3][5][4]
State law generally prohibits machine guns and short-barreled shotguns except for narrow official, dealer, manufacturer, National Guard, and BCA-approved collector categories; trigger activators and machine-gun conversion kits are also generally prohibited. A qualifying owner or possessor generally must report a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun to the BCA within ten days of acquisition. A federal NFA approval by itself does not expand the state exceptions. [11][30]
Suppressors and federally compliant short-barreled rifles are not included in Minnesota's categorical machine-gun and short-barreled-shotgun prohibition, but federal NFA registration and transfer rules still apply. Minnesota also separately prohibits an FFL from selling, and any person from manufacturing or assembling, a pistol meeting the statutory low-melting-point or low-strength 'Saturday night special' definition. [11][22][2][30]

Safe Storage and Reporting

Minnesota makes it a gross misdemeanor to negligently store or leave a loaded firearm where the person knows or reasonably should know that a child under eighteen is likely to gain access, unless reasonable action secures the firearm against that access. For this rule, a firearm is loaded when ammunition is in the chamber or in a magazine inserted in the firearm, unless the child likely to gain access is incapable of firing it. [10]
The child-access offense does not apply when the child obtained the firearm through unlawful entry. The statute does not prescribe one particular lock, safe, or storage method, so the practical question is whether reasonable action secured the loaded firearm against the child who was likely to gain access. [10]
Minnesota currently has no general statewide deadline requiring an ordinary owner to report a firearm itself lost or stolen. That is different from a permit holder's duty to notify the issuing sheriff within 30 days after a carry permit card is lost or destroyed; prompt voluntary firearm reporting can still help document the loss and aid recovery. [6][10]

Restricted Locations and Private Property

A carry permit does not create blanket authority at schools. Minnesota's school-property rule covers public and private K-12 buildings and improved grounds, occupied licensed child-care centers, school buses carrying students, and temporarily controlled school areas with the required notice. Exceptions include authorized vehicle carry or storage, direct placement into or retrieval from a vehicle, approved safety or marksmanship activity, and written permission from the person controlling the school or child-care center. [12][6][7]
State law also restricts firearms at correctional facilities and state hospitals without authorization. Courthouse complexes and specified Capitol Area state buildings have a separate weapons rule, but it includes an exception for a person carrying under a permit who gives the required notice; issuance of a permit itself constitutes notice to the commissioner for the covered Capitol buildings. Federal facilities remain governed by separate federal law. [20][12][6][32]
A private establishment may give statutory notice through a sign at every entrance using the prescribed wording and format, or by personally informing the carrier and demanding compliance. A carrier who then refuses to leave commits a petty misdemeanor. The establishment generally may not ban lawful possession in its parking area; a private residence may give notice in any lawful manner, and a landlord may not restrict lawful carry or possession by tenants or their guests. [6]

State Preemption and Local Rules

Section 471.633 broadly preempts cities, counties, towns, municipal corporations, other governmental subdivisions, and their instrumentalities from regulating firearms, ammunition, or their components. A local rule inconsistent with state preemption is void, while a local government may regulate firearm discharge and may adopt a rule identical to state law. [17]
A separate statute permits reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and nonarbitrary zoning ordinances governing where federally licensed firearm dealers may locate. This is limited zoning authority, not general permission for local purchase, possession, carry, magazine, or firearm-design restrictions. [18][17]
For preemption purposes, school districts and entities made up exclusively of school districts are excluded when school officials regulate school grounds, facilities, transportation, programs, or student conduct at supervised activities. The school-weapons statute separately limits a district's ability to regulate possession by nonstudents or nonemployees inconsistently with state law. [19][12]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Minnesota

Classify the firearm before transfer and determine whether the covered private-party rules apply. [2][4]
Verify a current permit to purchase or carry, or complete the transfer through an FFL. [1][4]
Complete and retain the official private-party form for ten years when using the permit route. [4][1]
Obtain a permit before public or vehicle pistol carry and check prohibited locations. [6]
Secure loaded firearms against likely access by children under eighteen. [10]
Confirm both Minnesota and federal legality before acquiring a machine gun, short-barreled firearm, or suppressor. [11][30]

Official Minnesota Firearm Law Resources

Obtain or Transfer a Firearm

Official permit-to-purchase and private-transfer procedures and forms.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

Private Party Transfers

FFL and permit routes, exceptions, form retention, and penalties.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Permit to Carry

Statewide permit criteria, application, scope, transport, and location rules.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Authorized Use of Force

General statutory authorization for reasonable force, including defense of the person and property.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Justifiable Taking of Life

Deadly-force statute covering self-defense and the narrow felony-in-the-home exception.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Prohibited Persons

State firearm possession disabilities and relief provisions.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Petitioners, risk standards, surrender, and order procedures.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Firearm Preemption

State occupation of firearm regulation and local exceptions.

Minnesota Revisor of Statutes

Minnesota Gun Law FAQ

How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Minnesota?

A federally licensed dealer must sell a handgun to someone 21 or older but can sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older. Minnesota separately bars a person under 18 from possessing a pistol or defined assault weapon, and a covered purchase requires an eligible adult transferee under the permit or transfer-report process.

[8][25][28]

Are background checks required for private gun sales in Minnesota?

Generally for private transfers of pistols and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons. The parties must use an FFL or the recipient must present a valid transferee permit and identification, subject to exceptions.

[4][1]

Do you need a permit to buy a gun in Minnesota?

A permit to purchase or carry is the usual way to acquire a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon without a transfer-report delay. Without one, the transferor generally must submit a transfer report and delivery may wait up to 30 days. Ordinary rifles and shotguns do not generally use that permit process.

[3][5][1]

Can you carry a concealed gun without a permit in Minnesota?

Generally no. A permit is required to carry a pistol in public or in a motor vehicle, whether concealed or openly carried.

[6]

Is open carry legal in Minnesota?

Yes with a valid permit to carry. Minnesota does not generally allow permitless public open carry of a pistol.

[6]

Can you carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle in Minnesota?

Generally with a valid permit to carry. Without one, a firearm generally must be unloaded and fully cased or unloaded in the closed trunk.

[6][7]

Does Minnesota have a gun waiting period?

Conditionally. If a covered pistol or defined assault-weapon transfer proceeds by transfer report because the buyer lacks a valid purchase or carry permit, delivery generally must wait up to 30 days unless law enforcement clears the buyer sooner and waives the remaining period. A valid permit avoids that separate delay.

[5][3]

Are suppressors legal in Minnesota?

Suppressors are generally lawful when federal requirements are met. Minnesota separately restricts machine guns and short-barreled shotguns to narrow categories.

[11][30]

Does Minnesota limit magazine capacity or ban assault weapons?

Minnesota has no general magazine-capacity limit and no general possession ban on semiautomatic military-style assault weapons, although acquiring the latter requires special permit or transfer procedures.

[2][4]

Does Minnesota have a red flag law?

Yes. A qualifying petitioner may request an emergency or longer-term ERPO that prohibits firearm possession and requires surrender.

[15]

Does Minnesota require safe firearm storage?

A person may not negligently leave a loaded firearm where a child under eighteen is likely to gain access unless reasonable action secures it. Unlawful entry is an exception.

[10]

Does Minnesota recognize out-of-state carry permits?

Minnesota recognizes only permits that appear on the BCA's current approved-state list. The list is reviewed annually, some states qualify only with an enhanced permit or permits issued after a specified date, and every visitor must follow Minnesota carry and location law.

[6][21]

Is a bill of sale enough for a private pistol sale in Minnesota?

No. A covered non-FFL transfer requires a valid permit and identification plus the official private-party transfer form retained for ten years; an informal receipt alone is insufficient.

[4][1]

Do I have to register my guns in Minnesota?

No general registry exists for an ordinary firearm. Covered private-transfer forms and dealer records must still be completed and retained, and machine guns and short-barreled shotguns must be separately reported to the BCA.

[4][1][11]

Who is prohibited from owning a gun in Minnesota?

Minnesota bars possession by people with a qualifying crime-of-violence conviction or delinquency adjudication, certain domestic-assault and controlled-substance convictions, qualifying civil commitments or incompetency findings, people in diversion for a crime of violence, and people subject to specified protection orders or an ERPO, in addition to independent federal prohibitions.

[8][29]

Can a Minnesota dealer sell a gun to an out-of-state resident?

Yes, when the sale is lawful under the federal Gun Control Act. A licensed dealer can sell a rifle or shotgun directly to a resident of another state in person if the sale complies with the laws of both states; a handgun sale to a non-resident generally must be shipped to and completed by an FFL in the buyer's home state.

[26][27]

How do I renew a Minnesota permit to carry?

A permit to carry is valid for five years. Residents renew in person with their county sheriff, using proof of approved handgun training completed within the preceding year; renewal can be filed up to 90 days before expiration, and a late renewal is generally still possible for a limited period after expiration before the application is treated as a new one.

[6]

Does Minnesota have a castle doctrine?

Minnesota courts recognize a castle-doctrine exception that removes the duty to retreat before using force against an intruder inside your own home, while still requiring retreat before using deadly force in public when a safe retreat is available. Minnesota has no statutory stand-your-ground rule.

[23][24]

Can I be sued after using a gun in self-defense in Minnesota?

Yes. Minnesota has no statute granting civil immunity for legally justified force. A prosecutor's decision not to charge, or a criminal acquittal, does not by itself prevent a civil lawsuit for damages arising from the same conduct.

[23][24]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.