Minnesota - MN Gun Laws

Buying a rifle, shotgun, or handgun from a licensed dealer in Minnesota requires only the standard federal NICS background check (Form 4473) — dealers are required by federal law to run this check on every purchaser, and no separate state permit is needed at the point of a dealer sale. Federal age minimums apply: 18 for a long gun, 21 for a handgun. There's no state waiting period.

Since August 1, 2023, private sales of a handgun or "semi-automatic military-style assault weapon" require the transferee to hold a valid Minnesota Permit to Purchase or Permit to Carry, verified either through a licensed dealer (Form 4473 process) or via a retained transfer-record form. Transfers between immediate family members (spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren) are exempt, along with temporary transfers at a shooting range, a lawful competition, while hunting, during a certified instructional course, or while in the transferor's actual presence. Rifles and shotguns that don't meet the "military-style" definition are not covered by this requirement.

Minnesota follows the standard federal prohibited-persons categories: felony conviction, certain domestic violence convictions or active protective orders, unlawful drug users, individuals adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, fugitives from justice, dishonorable military discharge, undocumented immigration status, and renunciation of U.S. citizenship. Minnesota also enacted an Extreme Risk Protection Order (red-flag) law effective January 1, 2024, letting family members, household members, law enforcement, or prosecutors petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone found to pose a safety risk.

Legal for anyone who holds a valid Permit to Carry — Minnesota's permit covers both open and concealed carry of a handgun under the same license, so a permit is required either way. As with concealed carry, the permit is available starting at age 18 following Worth v. Jacobson.

Requires a Permit to Carry, issued shall-issue by the county sheriff to anyone 18 or older who completes an approved training course and passes a background check. The age floor was 21 until Worth v. Jacobson (8th Cir. 2024) struck that restriction down as unconstitutional; the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Minnesota's appeal in April 2025, so the 18-and-over floor is now settled law. Sheriffs have only narrow discretion to deny a permit if there's a "substantial likelihood" the applicant would be a danger to themselves or others. Minnesota has not adopted permitless carry.

A valid Permit to Carry is required to carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle in most circumstances. The same sensitive-location restrictions that apply elsewhere also apply to vehicle carry (see Restricted Locations).

Minnesota's restricted-location list includes K-12 schools, courthouses, and certain government buildings. Federal restrictions still apply regardless of state law — federal buildings and other federal property remain off-limits under federal statute.

Minnesota does not set a comprehensive statewide minimum age for possessing a firearm beyond the federal purchase-age framework (18 for long guns, 21 for handguns through a dealer). Note this no longer matches the state's own Permit to Carry age floor, which dropped to 18 in 2025 following Worth v. Jacobson — an 18-20 year old can now hold a valid carry permit even though they still can't buy a handgun from a licensed dealer until 21. Supervised possession and use by minors below these ages — for hunting, target shooting, or firearms safety instruction under adult supervision — is common practice and not separately restricted by a dedicated state age-floor statute.

None. Minnesota has no magazine capacity limit and no assault weapons ban.

Minnesota follows a duty-to-retreat doctrine in public — a person generally must retreat if it can be done safely before using deadly force outside protected locations. Minnesota's castle doctrine removes that duty within the home, a vehicle, and the workplace, provided the person isn't the initial aggressor.

Minnesota has full state preemption of firearm law, with one narrow carve-out: local governments may still regulate the discharge of firearms within their borders. Beyond that, cities and counties cannot enact their own ownership, purchase, or carry rules.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Permit to Carry resources: dps.mn.gov
Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 624 (full text): revisor.mn.gov
Your county Sheriff's Office: for Permit to Carry or Permit to Purchase applications
ATF: for federal NFA questions — Minnesota does not add state-level restrictions on suppressors beyond federal requirements