Minnesota does not generally ban assault weapons, but has adopted a series of statutes regulating the possession and sale of certain “semiautomatic military-style assault weapons.” A firearm is considered a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon if it is on the list of over two dozen named types of regulated firearms,¹ or is another model of a listed firearm, is made by the same manufacturer as the listed firearm, has the same action design, and

• Is a redesigned, renamed, or renumbered version
• Has a slight modification or enhancement (such as 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).²

Moreover, a firearm is also classified as a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon if it was manufactured or sold under a licensing agreement with a manufacturer of one of the listed firearms to manufacture or sell firearms that are identical or nearly identical to a listed firearm or a firearm described above.³

A firearm that is generally recognized as “particularly suitable or readily adaptable to sporting purposes” or any of its regulations is not a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.⁴

In addition, Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is required to publish a list of firearms included within the definition of semiautomatic military-style assault weapon. The Bureau is required to update the list annually.⁵

In 2023, Minnesota extended the waiting period for assault weapon purchases from federally licensed dealers from seven days to 30 days (effective August 1, 2023).⁶

Minnesota prohibits the possession of semiautomatic military-style assault weapons by persons who are under 18 years of age.⁷ Such persons may carry or possess a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon only:

• In the actual presence or under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian;
• For the purposes of a military drill while under competent supervision, under the auspices of a legally recognized military organization;
• For instruction, competition or target practice under direct supervision on a law enforcement-approved firing range; or
• Upon successful completion of a course designed to teach marksmanship and safety with a handgun or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon and approved by the state commissioner of natural resources.⁸

A person charged with a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment may not receive, ship, or transport a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon.⁹

As of August 1, 2023, Minnesota will require semiautomatic military-style assault weapon purchasers to obtain a transferee permit unless the purchaser is purchasing from or transacting the sale through a federally licensed dealer.¹⁰ Certain transfers between immediate family members and temporary transfers are exempt from this requirement.¹¹ A concealed carry permit constitutes a transferee permit for the purpose of purchasing an assault weapon.¹²

With certain limited exceptions, if a person wishes to acquire a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon from a federally licensed dealer, but does not have a transferee permit or a permit to carry a handgun, the dealer must file a report with the police chief or sheriff, who then performs a background check.¹³ See Background Checks in Minnesota for further information.

A person commits a gross misdemeanor if he or she intentionally transfers a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon to a person he or she knows:

• Has been denied a permit to carry a weapon because the transferee is not eligible under Minnesota law to possess an assault weapon; or
• Has been found ineligible to possess an assault weapon by law enforcement as a result of an application for a transferee permit or transfer report.¹⁴

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1. Minn. Stat. § 624.712, subd. 7(1) lists more than two dozen named types of firearms that are considered “semiautomatic military-style assault weapons.”[↩]
2. Minn. Stat. § 624.712, subd. 7(2).[↩]
3. Minn. Stat. § 624.712, subd. 7(3). An exception exists for licensing agreements entered into before August 1, 1993, the effective date of the statute.[↩]
4. 18 U.S.C. § 925(d)(3).[↩]
5. Minn. Stat. § 624.712, subd. 8.[↩]
6. Minn. Stat. § 624.7132, subd. 4.[↩]
7. Minn. Stat. § 624.713, subd. 1(1).[↩]
8. Id.[↩]
9. Minn. Stat. § 624.713, subd. 1a.[↩]
10. Minn. Stat. § 624.7134, subds. 2 and 3.[↩]
11. Id. at subd. 7.[↩]
12. Minn. Stat. § 624.7131, subd. 9.[↩]
13. Minn. Stat. § 624.7132, subd. 1, subd. 2; see also Minn. Stat. § 624.7132, subd. 12 (exempting transfers from non-dealers from this requirement).[↩]
14. Minn. Stat. § 624.7141, subd. 1.[↩]