Sale and possession of ghost guns prohibited, 3D printing of guns limited to federally licensed firearms manufacturers, distribution of 3D printer firearm design files prohibited, firearm serial numbers required, public notice required, and limits on assembling firearms without license provided.

A bill for an act

relating to public safety; prohibiting the sale and possession of ghost guns; limiting

the printing of firearms by three-dimensional printers to federally licensed firearms

manufacturers; prohibiting distribution of three-dimensional printer firearm design

files; requiring serial numbers on firearms; requiring the commissioner of public

safety to issue a public notice; providing limits on assembling firearms without a

federal firearms license; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,

chapter 624; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.667.

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

Section 1.

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[624.7145] SERIAL NUMBERS; GHOST GUNS.

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Subdivision 1.

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Definitions.

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(a) For purposes of this section and sections 624.7146 and

624.7147, the following terms have the meanings given.

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(b) "Federal firearms licensee" means a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer under

United States Code, title 18, section 921(a)(9-11).

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(c) "Ghost gun" means a firearm or a finished or unfinished frame or receiver that:

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(1) lacks a unique serial number engraved or imprinted in metal alloy on the frame or

receiver;

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(2) is undetectable by a metal detector under the terms of United States Code, title 18,

section 922(p), or can be readily modified to become undetectable; or

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(3) is manufactured by a three-dimensional printer or computer numerical control milling

machine by a person who is not a federally licensed firearm manufacturer.

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Ghost gun does not include any firearm or unfinished frame or receiver that is permanently

inoperable; is an antique firearm, as defined in section 624.712, subdivision 3; or was

manufactured prior to 1968.

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(d) "Unfinished frame or receiver" means a forging, casting, printing, extrusion, machined

body, or similar article that has reached a stage where it may be readily completed, assembled,

or converted into a functional firearm.

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(e) "Unique serial number" means the serial number and, if applicable, other information

required under:

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(1) United States Code, title 26, section 5842;

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(2) United States Code, title 18, section 923;

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(3) section 624.7147; or

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(4) the law of any other state for the identification of firearms.

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Subd. 2.

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Alteration of serial numbers.

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Any person who commits any of the following

acts may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine

of not more than $10,000, or both:

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(1) obliterates, removes, changes, or alters the unique serial number of a firearm; or

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(2) receives or possesses a firearm, the unique serial number of which has been

obliterated, removed, changed, or altered.

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Subd. 3.

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Prohibition on possession.

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Any person who owns, possesses, or receives a

ghost gun may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of

a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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Subd. 4.

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Sale, transfer, and distribution of ghost guns.

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Any person who sells, transfers,

or distributes a ghost gun may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years

or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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Subd. 5.

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Firearms without serial numbers.

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(a) Any person who, on August 1, 2026,

is in possession of a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver that lacks a unique serial number

engraved or imprinted in metal alloy on the frame or receiver has 180 days to do one of the

following:

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(1) have a federal firearms licensee imprint a unique serial number on the firearm

according to the requirements under section 624.7147;

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(2) permanently remove the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver from the state;

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(3) render the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver permanently inoperable; or

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(4) surrender the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver to a law enforcement agency

for destruction.

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(b) Any person who receives an unfinished frame, receiver, or firearm without a unique

serial number through inheritance and who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing the

unfinished frame, receiver, or firearm, must, within 30 days after inheriting the unfinished

frame, receiver, or firearm:

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(1) have a federal firearms licensee imprint a unique serial number on the firearm

according to the requirements of section 624.7147;

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(2) permanently remove the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver from the state;

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(3) render the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver permanently inoperable; or

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(4) surrender the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver to a law enforcement agency.

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(c) New residents of the state in possession of a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver

that lacks a unique serial number must, within 60 days of arriving in the state:

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(1) have a federal firearms licensee imprint a unique serial number on the firearm

according to the requirements of section 624.7147;

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(2) permanently remove the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver from the state;

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(3) render the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver permanently inoperable; or

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(4) surrender the firearm or unfinished frame or receiver to a law enforcement agency.

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Subd. 6.

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Exceptions.

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This section does not apply to:

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(1) possession of a ghost gun by a federal firearms licensee or the sale, transfer, or

distribution of a ghost gun to a federal firearms licensee;

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(2) the transfer of a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver that lacks a unique serial

number between the owner and a federal firearms licensee for the purposes of serialization

under section 624.7147;

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(3) a law enforcement officer for the purposes of enforcing this section, collecting

evidence, or destroying a ghost gun; or

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(4) a member of the United States armed forces for use in the course of the member's

official duties.

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Subd. 7.

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Enforcement.

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This section is enforceable under section 8.31.

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Sec. 2.

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[624.7146] ASSEMBLY AND MANUFACTURING OF FIREARMS.

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Subdivision 1.

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Definitions.

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(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have

the meanings given.

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(b) "Assemble" means to fit together component parts.

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(c) "Manufacture" means to fabricate, make, form, produce, or construct by manual

labor or machinery.

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Subd. 2.

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Assembling firearms; requirements; limitations.

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(a) A person who is not a

federal firearms licensee is prohibited from assembling or manufacturing more than three

firearms in a calendar year.

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(b) Before assembling or manufacturing a firearm, a person assembling or manufacturing

a firearm that does not have a unique serial number or mark of identification imprinted on

the frame or receiver must request a unique serial number from a federal firearms licensee

that complies with the requirements in section 624.7147.

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(c) Within ten days of assembling a firearm, the owner must have a federal firearms

licensee imprint the firearm with the unique serial number assigned under paragraph (b).

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(d) Nothing in this section permits the assembly or manufacture of ghost guns.

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Subd. 3.

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Manufacturing prohibitions.

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(a) It is unlawful for a person, other than a federal

firearms licensee, to manufacture a firearm using a computer numerical control milling

machine or three-dimensional printer.

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(b) Any person who violates this subdivision may be sentenced to imprisonment for not

more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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Subd. 4.

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Firearm design files.

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(a) It is unlawful to sell, transfer, or distribute to a person

in the state, other than to a federal firearms licensee, digital instructions in the form of

computer-aided design files or other code or instructions stored and displayed in electronic

format as a digital model that may be used to program a three-dimensional printer to

manufacture a ghost gun.

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(b) A person who violates paragraph (a) may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more

than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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Subd. 5.

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Enforcement.

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This section is enforceable under section 8.31.

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Sec. 3.

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[624.7147] SERIALIZATION OF FIREARMS.

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Subdivision 1.

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Requirements.

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(a) A federal firearms licensee must comply with this

subdivision when assigning and applying a unique serial number to a firearm or unfinished

frame or receiver owned by a resident of the state.

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(b) The unique serial number must be formatted with the federal firearms licensee's

abbreviated federal firearms license number as a prefix, which is the first three and last five

digits of the license number, followed by a hyphen, then followed by a number that the

licensee has not previously assigned as a suffix. The serial number or numbers must be

imprinted in a manner that accords with the requirements under federal law for affixing

serial numbers to firearms, including the requirements that the serial number or numbers

be at the minimum size and depth, and not susceptible to being readily obliterated, altered,

or removed, and the licensee must retain records that accord with the requirements under

federal law in the case of the sale of a firearm. The imprinting of any serial number upon

an undetectable firearm must be done on a steel plaque under United States Code, title 18,

section 922(p).

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(c) A federal firearms licensee that engraves, casts, stamps, or otherwise conspicuously

and permanently places a unique serial number on a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver

under this section must maintain a record of each instance of imprinting a serial number

indefinitely. A federal firearms licensee providing marking services under this section must

make all records accessible for inspection upon the request of a state or local law enforcement

agency.

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(d) A federal firearms licensee that engraves, casts, stamps, or otherwise conspicuously

and permanently places a unique serial number on a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver

under this section must record the serial number at the time of every transaction involving

the transfer of a firearm, rifle, shotgun, finished frame or receiver, or unfinished frame or

receiver that has been marked in compliance with the federal guidelines under Code of

Federal Regulations, title 27, section 478.124.

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(e) By August 1, 2026, the commissioner of public safety must issue a public notice

regarding the provisions of this section in order to educate the public. The notice must

include posting on the Department of Public Safety's website and may include written

notification or any other means of communication statewide to all Minnesota-based federal

firearms licensees authorized to provide marking services under this section.

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Subd. 2.

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Data classification.

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Data related to unique serial numbers under subdivision

1, paragraph (c), is classified in section 13.87, subdivision 2.

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Sec. 4.
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REPEALER.
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Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.667,

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is repealed.

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APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 26-06522

609.667 FIREARMS; REMOVAL OR ALTERATION OF SERIAL NUMBER.

Whoever commits any of the following acts may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both:

(1) obliterates, removes, changes, or alters the serial number or other identification of a firearm;

(2) receives or possesses a firearm, the serial number or other identification of which has been obliterated, removed, changed, or altered; or

(3) receives or possesses a firearm that is not identified by a serial number.

As used in this section, "serial number or other identification" means the serial number and other information required under United States Code, title 26, section 5842, for the identification of firearms.