Minnesota Proposal Would Require Gun Owners to Permit Police Inspections of Stored Firearms

A Minnesota House bill would prohibit possession of certain semiautomatic firearms while requiring owners who retain them under a grandfather clause to allow law enforcement to inspect how the guns are stored.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Minnesota House Democrats are advancing legislation that would prohibit the possession or transfer of specified semiautomatic firearms and require certain gun owners to permit law enforcement inspections of firearm storage within their homes, according to a Breitbart News report.

On February 20, 2026, Breitbart News reported that Democratic lawmakers were pursuing a measure to bar ownership or transfer of AR-15 rifles and numerous other semiautomatic firearms. The proposal, identified as HF 3433, lists the Colt AR-15 among at least 25 specifically named semiautomatic rifles and pistols that would be prohibited from possession.

Beyond enumerating specific models, the bill extends its reach to include “any firearm that is another model made by the same manufacturer as one of the firearms listed…and has the same action design as one of the listed firearms, and is a redesigned, renamed, or renumbered version of one of the firearms listed.” The language would apply the ban to firearms sharing similar mechanical characteristics with those explicitly named in the legislation.

According to the bill text, available through the Minnesota Legislature’s Revisor of Statutes, HF 3433 would take effect on January 1, 2027, if enacted and signed into law.

Minnesota Gun Legislation by yourNEWS Media

The proposal contains a grandfather provision allowing individuals who lawfully possess a firearm that becomes prohibited under the measure to retain it. To do so, current owners would be required to obtain a “certificate of ownership” issued by law enforcement.

However, retention of such firearms would be conditioned on compliance with additional requirements. The legislation mandates that any prohibited firearm kept under a certificate must be “safely and securely store[d] … pursuant to the regulations adopted by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.”

The bill further states that owners seeking to retain these firearms must “agree to allow the appropriate law enforcement agency to inspect the storage of the device to ensure compliance[.]” The inspection provision would apply to those maintaining possession under the certificate framework outlined in the proposal.

HF 3433 remains under consideration in the Minnesota House.