The Minnesota legislature convened for its 2026 session earlier this week, and we've already seen a number of gun control bills introduced, including bans on the possession of commonly owned firearms and ammunition magazines.
MN Gun Owners Caucus chair Bryan Strawser joined me on today's Bearing Arms' Cam & Company to detail some of the bills, and the threats they pose to peaceable gun owners.
Strawser pointed out that, to date, all of the gun control bills that have been filed are over on the House side of the statehouse, where Democrats and Repubicans have an equal number of legislators. Under a power sharing agreement, Republican Rep. Lisa DeMuth serves as House Speaker, but the chairs of the various House committees shifts back and forth between Republicans.
On Wednesday we got a preview of how Democrats will try to take advantage of that arrangement when Democrats tried to gut a bill increasing prison sentences for repeat, violent offenders who use firearms and replace its language with a ban on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines.
More on this later, but this report is accurate.
— Walter Hudson (@WalterHudson) February 19, 2026
We presented a bill to provide meaningful punishment to serial offenders who use guns in the commission of a crime, and the Democrat response was, effectively, "No, we're not interested in that. We want to disarm everyone else." https://t.co/v5eVpQLflH
While a Republican chaired the meeting of the Public Safety committee yesterday, when the committee meets next week a Democrat will control the gavel, and we're likely to see another attempt to inject a gun ban into unrelated legislation.
Democrats are also running HF 3433, which would ban the sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of "assault weapons," unless current owners obtain a "certification of ownership" (i.e. gun registration) from law enforcement. Its companion, HF 3434, not only bans so-called assault weapons, but the sale and possession of ammunition magazines that can hold more than ten rounds. Law enforcement is, as always, exempt from the proposal, even though Minnesota was ground zero for the Defund the Police movement in 2020.
HF 3401 would end the ability of school districts to allow individuals to carry on school grounds, creating a misdemeanor offense for most concealed carry holders who do so.
HF 3402 is another magazine ban bill that creates a felony punishable by five years in prison for manufacturing, selling, transferring, or possessing a magazine that can hold more than ten rounds.
HF 3407 is an attack on 3D printed firearms and the computer code used to print various parts, very similar to what we've already seen introduced in states like Washington and Colorado. California already has a law like this in place, and is currently suing several Floridians for making such code available to download in the Golden State.
Finally, HF 3557 would forbid firearms inside the state capitol, at least when they're carried by licensed gun owners. Currently the capitol complex is open to concealed carry with a license, but under this legislation it would become a felony to bear arms at the statehouse.
We're almost certain to see gun and magazine ban bills introduced in the state Senate as well, but Strawser believes Democrat leaders are still working on securing the support of two senators who represent more rural areas; Grant Hauschild and Rob Kupec. With a one-vote majority in the upper chamber, Democrats are going to have to vote in lockstep to advance any gun control legislation, and on the House side they're going to have to convince at least one Republican to join them... and convince DeMuth to bring a gun control bill to the floor for a vote.
With Gov. Tim Walz making a gun ban one of his top priorities in what will be his final year as governor, expect anti-gun Democrats to use whatever parliamentary tricks and legislative sleight-of-hand they can come up with to get HF 3433, HF 3434, or their Senate counterparts to Walz's desk. Second Amendment advocates can absolutely beat back this assault on their right to keep and bear arms, but it's going to take some effort... and complacency plays right into the hands of the anti-gun lawmakers at the capitol.
Editor's Note: The gun control lobby and their anti-gun allies like Tim Walz continue to lie about gun owners and the Second Amendment.
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