Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF511 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to public safety; requiring that persons purchasing a firearm be trained in
3	3	1.3 firearm safety; requiring the retention of records relating to firearm sales; providing
4	4	1.4 criminal penalties; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
5	5	1.5 624.
6	6	1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
7	7	1.7 Section 1. [624.7135] SALE OF FIREARM; TRAINING IN SAFE USE REQUIRED;
8	8	1.8RECORD KEEPING; CRIMINAL PENALTY.
9	9	1.9 Subdivision 1.Definitions.As used in this section:
10	10	1.10 (1) "firearms dealer" has the meaning given in section 624.7134;
11	11	1.11 (2) "sale" or "sell" includes any permanent transfer of ownership of a firearm, regardless
12	12	1.12of whether any consideration was given;
13	13	1.13 (3) "state or federally issued identification" has the meaning given in section 624.7134;
14	14	1.14and
15	15	1.15 (4) "unlicensed person" has the meaning given in section 624.7134.
16	16	1.16 Subd. 2.Sale of firearm; training required.A person may not sell a firearm unless
17	17	1.17the person purchasing or otherwise taking ownership of the firearm presents evidence of
18	18	1.18training in the safe use of a firearm as provided in subdivision 3.
19	19	1.19 Subd. 3.Training in safe use of a firearm.(a) A person purchasing or otherwise taking
20	20	1.20ownership of a firearm must present evidence to the seller that the person has received
21	21	1.21training in the safe use of a firearm within one year of the date of the sale. Training may be
22	22	1.22demonstrated by:
23	23	1Section 1.
24	24	25-01650 as introduced01/09/25 REVISOR KLL/RC
25	25	SENATE
26	26	STATE OF MINNESOTA
27	27	S.F. No. 511NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
28	28	(SENATE AUTHORS: MANN and Gustafson)
29	29	OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
30	30	Introduction and first reading01/23/2025
31	31	Referred to Judiciary and Public Safety 2.1 (1) employment as a peace officer in the state of Minnesota within the past year; or
32	32	2.2 (2) completion of a firearms safety or training course providing basic training in the safe
33	33	2.3use of a firearm and conducted by a certified instructor.
34	34	2.4 (b) Basic training must include:
35	35	2.5 (1) instruction in the fundamentals of firearm use, including firearm mechanics and
36	36	2.6operation, safe handling and storage, and injury and suicide prevention;
37	37	2.7 (2) successful completion of an actual shooting qualification exercise; and
38	38	2.8 (3) instruction in the fundamental legal aspects of firearm possession, carry, and use,
39	39	2.9including self-defense and the restrictions on the use of deadly force.
40	40	2.10 (c) The certified instructor must issue a certificate to a person who has completed a
41	41	2.11firearms safety or training course described in paragraph (b). The certificate must be signed
42	42	2.12and dated by the instructor and attest that the person attended and completed the course.
43	43	2.13 (d) A person qualifies as a certified instructor if the person is certified as a firearms
44	44	2.14instructor within the past five years by an organization or government entity that has been
45	45	2.15approved by the Department of Public Safety in accordance with the department's standards.
46	46	2.16 Subd. 4.Scope.Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 8, this section applies to
47	47	2.17all sales of firearms regardless of whether the parties involved are firearms dealers or
48	48	2.18unlicensed persons.
49	49	2.19 Subd. 5.Record of safety training; required information.(a) All parties to a sale of
50	50	2.20a firearm must complete a record of safety training on a form designed and made publicly
51	51	2.21available without fee for this purpose by the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal
52	52	2.22Apprehension. Each page of the record must be signed and dated by the parties and contain
53	53	2.23the serial number of the firearm.
54	54	2.24 (b) The record must contain the following information:
55	55	2.25 (1) a clear copy of each person's current state or federally issued identification; and
56	56	2.26 (2) a clear copy of the firearms safety training certificate of the purchaser or person
57	57	2.27otherwise taking ownership of the firearm, or proof that the person was employed as a peace
58	58	2.28officer within the state of Minnesota within the year preceding the sale.
59	59	2.29 (c) In addition, the record must include the following information:
60	60	2.30 (1) the type of firearm;
61	61	2.31 (2) the manufacturer, make, and model of the firearm; and
62	62	2Section 1.
63	63	25-01650 as introduced01/09/25 REVISOR KLL/RC 3.1 (3) the firearm's manufacturer-assigned serial number.
64	64	3.2 (d) All parties to the sale must retain a copy of the record and any attachments to the
65	65	3.3record for ten years from the date of the sale. A copy in digital form shall be acceptable for
66	66	3.4the purposes of this paragraph.
67	67	3.5 Subd. 6.Compulsory production of record of safety training; misdemeanor
68	68	3.6penalty.(a) All parties to a sale of a firearm must produce the record of safety training
69	69	3.7when a peace officer requests the record as part of a criminal investigation.
70	70	3.8 (b) A person who refuses or is unable to produce the record in response to a request for
71	71	3.9production made by a peace officer pursuant to paragraph (a) is guilty of a misdemeanor.
72	72	3.10A prosecution or conviction for violation of this subdivision is not a bar to conviction of,
73	73	3.11or punishment for, any other crime committed involving the sold firearm.
74	74	3.12 Subd. 7.Immunity.A person is immune to a charge of violating this section if the person
75	75	3.13presents a record of safety training that satisfies the requirements of subdivision 3.
76	76	3.14 Subd. 8.Exclusions.(a) This section shall not apply to the following:
77	77	3.15 (1) a sale to a firearms dealer;
78	78	3.16 (2) a sale to any law enforcement agency;
79	79	3.17 (3) a sale to an executor, administrator, trustee, or personal representative of an estate
80	80	3.18or a trust that occurs by operation of law upon the death of the former owner of the firearm;
81	81	3.19 (4) a sale of an antique firearm as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 3;
82	82	3.20 (5) a sale of a curio or relic, as defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 27, section
83	83	3.21478.11, if the sale is between collectors of firearms as curios or relics as defined by United
84	84	3.22States Code, title 18, section 921(a)(13), who each have in their possession a valid collector
85	85	3.23of curio and relics license issued by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of
86	86	3.24Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and
87	87	3.25 (6) a sale to or by an auctioneer who is in compliance with chapter 330 and acting in
88	88	3.26the person's official role as an auctioneer to facilitate or conduct an auction of the firearm.
89	89	3.27 Subd. 9.Consolidated record.Parties to a firearm sale under this section may use a
90	90	3.28consolidated record of transfer form designed and made publicly available without fee for
91	91	3.29this purpose by the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that combines
92	92	3.30the record keeping requirements of both this section and section 624.7134.
93	93	3.31 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2026, and applies to sales of
94	94	3.32firearms occurring on or after that date.
95	95	3Section 1.
96	96	25-01650 as introduced01/09/25 REVISOR KLL/RC