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HF3367 • 2026

2024 changes to the crime of transferring a firearm to an ineligible person reenacted with certain amendments, and affirmative defense repealed.

2024 changes to the crime of transferring a firearm to an ineligible person reenacted with certain amendments, and affirmative defense repealed.

Crime Firearms
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Berg, Rehrauer, Kraft, Kotyza-Witthuhn
Last action
2026-02-25
Official status
Author added Kotyza-Witthuhn
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement or the number of people affected by removing the defense.

Changes to Laws About Giving Guns to People Who Can't Have Them

This law reenacts and updates rules from 2024 about punishing someone who gives a gun to an ineligible person, and removes a defense for family or household members.

What This Bill Does

  • Reenacts the 2024 changes to the crime of transferring a firearm to an ineligible person with certain amendments.
  • Removes the affirmative defense that allowed family or household members to argue they were compelled by threats from the transferee.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who give guns to others
  • Family and household members involved in illegal firearm transfers

Terms To Know

ineligible person
Someone not allowed by law to have a gun.
affirmative defense
A way someone can argue they should not be punished for breaking the law because of special circumstances.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify who exactly will enforce these changes.
  • It is unclear how many people will be affected by removing this defense.
  • The exact date when these changes take effect has not been set.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-25 House

    Author added Kotyza-Witthuhn

  2. 2026-02-23 House

    Author added Kraft

  3. 2026-02-19 House

    Author added Rehrauer

  4. 2026-02-17 House

    Introduction and first reading, referred to Public Safety Finance and Policy

Official Summary Text

2024 changes to the crime of transferring a firearm to an ineligible person reenacted with certain amendments, and affirmative defense repealed.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A bill for an act

relating to public safety; reenacting the 2024 changes to the crime of transferring

a firearm to an ineligible person with certain amendments; repealing the affirmative

defense for certain transfers of a firearm to an ineligible person by family or

household members; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 624.7141,

subdivision 4.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.
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REENACTMENT OF CHANGES TO STRAW PURCHASE CRIMES.
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Laws 2024, chapter 127, article 36, section 3, is reenacted retroactively and without

interruption from August 1, 2024.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 2.
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REPEALER.
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Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 624.7141, subdivision 4,

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is repealed.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 26-05786

624.7141 TRANSFER TO INELIGIBLE PERSON.

Subd. 4.

Affirmative defense.

(a) As used in this subdivision, "family or household member" has the meaning given in section
518B.01, subdivision 2
, paragraph (b).

(b) If proven by clear and convincing evidence, it is an affirmative defense to a violation of this section that the defendant was a family or household member of the transferee and committed the violation only under compulsion by the transferee who, by explicit or implicit threats or other acts, created a reasonable apprehension in the mind of the defendant that the refusal of the defendant to participate in the violation would result in the transferee inflicting substantial bodily harm or death on the defendant or a family or household member of the defendant.

(c) The fact finder may consider any evidence of past acts that would constitute domestic abuse, domestic or nondomestic assault, criminal sexual conduct, sexual extortion, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, harassment or stalking, or any other crime that is a crime of violence as defined in section
624.712, subdivision 5
, or threats to commit any of these crimes by the transferee toward the defendant or another when determining if the defendant has proven the affirmative defense. Past prosecution is not required for the fact finder to consider evidence of these acts. Nothing in this paragraph limits the ability of the fact finder to consider other relevant evidence when determining if the defendant has proven the affirmative defense.