SF5291

Purpose

This bill aims to tighten rules around semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, strengthen school safety and threat reporting, require and fund certain mental health initiatives, and update various Minnesota laws to implement these changes. It also includes onetime funds for public awareness, research, and safety grants.

Main Provisions (What the bill seeks to accomplish)

• Regulate ownership, possession, and sale of semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.
• Reenact and expand bans on certain weapon features and configurations to limit access to weapons widely considered to be high-risk.
• Criminalize ghost guns (undetectable or unserialized firearms) and prohibit related manufacturing or transfers.
• Repeal or modify provisions related to binary triggers (a trigger mechanism) and strengthen related restrictions.
• Strengthen provisions related to dangerous weapons in schools and negligent storage of firearms.
• Require reporting on firearms discharge by law enforcement.
• Create and/or modify Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) and fund public awareness and enforcement related to ERPOs.
• Encourage schools to implement anonymous threat reporting systems and provide funding or guidance to support them.
• Update and reform reimbursement rates and funding for mental health services, including programs for health care professionals.
• Provide targeted grants and funding for safety and violence prevention, including nonpublic schools, school safety, and mobile crisis services.
• Amend numerous Minnesota Statutes to implement these changes and repeal/adjust related provisions.

Details of Semiautomatic Weapons Definitions (Article 2)

• Defines “semiautomatic militarystyle assault weapon” to include a long list of named firearms (examples include AK-47-type rifles, AR-type rifles, various pistols and shotguns) and models that are substantially the same in action design, or that are manufactured under licensing agreements to produce identical or near-identical versions.
• Establishes that many firearms with detachable magazines or specific features (such as pistol grips, folding/ telescoping stocks, shrouds around the barrel, etc.) count as semiautomatic militarystyle assault weapons.
• Specifies that some firearms are not considered semiautomatic militarystyle assault weapons if permanently inoperable.
• Includes provisions about other models from the same manufacturer or models produced under licensing that would be considered the same weapon for purposes of the ban.
• References to import restrictions and historical context about weapons banned in 1989 (as part of the definitional framework).
• Sets criteria for what counts as a semiautomatic pistol, rifle, or shotgun with certain features or capabilities (e.g., capacity to accept detachable magazines, specific grips or stocks).
• These definitions are intended to determine which firearms are subject to regulatory restrictions under the bill.

Enforcement, Reporting, and Public Safety Measures

• Creates mechanisms for the certification of weapon ownership through state agencies (e.g., Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) to implement the ownership requirements.
• Strengthens or reenacts ERPOs, with a focus on public education and awareness campaigns.
• Encourages and funds the development and use of anonymous threat reporting systems in schools.
• Mandates reporting on firearm discharge by law enforcement and aligns related oversight.
• Provides onetime funding for a public awareness campaign, a violence prevention research center, and school safety grants.

Funding and Appropriations (One-Time and Ongoing)

• Public Awareness Campaign for Extreme Risk Protection Orders: funded to educate the public and law enforcement.
• Violence Prevention Project Research Center: funded to study and improve gun-violence–related policy and practice.
• Nonpublic Schools Grants: funds to provide school safety grants to nonpublic schools; prioritizes districts with lower fiscal capacity; requires reporting on grants and coordination with the Minnesota School Safety Center.
• Anonymous Reporting System enhancements for schools.
• School Safety Aid Program: creates and funds a school safety aid with specific eligibility and administration rules; includes a reduced and time-bound schedule for distributing aid in 2027.
• School-linked behavioral health grants, startup grants for family peer specialists, mobile crisis grants, and mental health grants for health care professionals (all onetime appropriations in the near term).
• Adjustments to mental health reimbursement rate increases under state law.
• Overall, the funding is described as one-time, with some items tied to fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds and clarifies definitions for semiautomatic militarystyle assault weapons and related weapon features, expanding the scope of what is regulated.
• Adds new subdivisions and amendments to multiple Minnesota Statutes to reflect the new weapon definitions, ownership certification, ghost gun prohibitions, ERPO-related provisions, and school safety requirements.
• Repeals or adjusts certain provisions (as indicated by references to amending and adding subdivisions and the repeal language) to align with the new regulatory framework and enforcement mechanisms.
• Introduces a formal process for ownership certification, including state agency involvement (e.g., BCA), and expands penalties and reporting requirements associated with possession and transfer of restricted weapons.

Implementation Timeline and Administration

• Several grant programs have application windows (e.g., nonpublic school grants with applications due by January 1, 2027 and awards by March 1, 2027).
• Reports on grant activity and use are required (preliminary report by January 15, 2028; final report by January 15, 2030).
• Some appropriations are explicitly one-time, with funds available for specific fiscal years.

Relevant Terms - semiautomatic militarystyle assault weapon - large-capacity magazines - ghost guns - binary trigger ban - extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) - anonymous threat reporting systems - firearms discharge by law enforcement - negligent storage of firearms - certification of ownership - Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) - Office of Justice Programs - public awareness campaign - Violence Prevention Project Research Center - nonpublic schools grants - school safety aid - school safety revenue (126C.44) - mobile crisis grants - mental health reimbursement rates (256B.761) - school-linked behavioral health grants - family peer specialist startup grants - firearms importation restrictions - unlawful manufacturing or sale of ghost guns - safety and enforcement in schools - Minnesota Statutes amendments (specific sections and subdivisions)