Purpose

This bill aims to tighten controls on ghost guns and the way firearms are assembled, printed, serialized, and sold in Minnesota. It creates new rules about ghost guns, requires serial numbers on firearms, restricts 3D-printed and CNC-milled firearms, and adds requirements for how serial numbers are applied and tracked. It also repeals a prior law about removing or altering serial numbers.

Key terms and definitions

• Ghost gun: a firearm or unfinished frame/receiver without a unique serial number, or one that can be made undetectable, or made with a 3D printer or CNC milling machine by someone who isn’t a federally licensed firearm manufacturer.
• Unfinished frame or receiver: a part that can be finished or assembled into a functional firearm.
• Unique serial number: the serial number plus other required identifying information, as defined by federal law.
• Federal firearms licensee (FFL): a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer under federal law.
• 3D printer and CNC milling machine: technologies used to manufacture firearms.
• Public notice: a government posting or communication to educate the public about the new rules.

Main provisions and what the bill seeks to accomplish

• Prohibit ghost guns and require serial numbers

  • Makes it unlawful to own, possess, or receive a ghost gun.
  • Prohibits sale, transfer, or distribution of ghost guns.
  • Requires people who possess ghost guns to address the serial-number issue by a deadline or remove/destroy the firearm to comply.
  • Creates exceptions for certain transfers involving federal firearms licensees and for law enforcement and military use.

• Deadlines and compliance for existing ghost guns

  • On August 1, 2026, anyone who has a firearm or unfinished frame/receiver without a serial number has 180 days to either:
  • have a federal firearms licensee imprint a serial number,
  • permanently remove the firearm from the state,
  • render it permanently inoperable, or
  • surrender it to a law enforcement agency for destruction.
  • Inheritances: people who inherit a firearm or unfinished frame/receiver without a serial number must, within 30 days, imprint a serial number, remove the firearm from the state, render it inoperable, or surrender it.
  • New residents: people moving into Minnesota who have such weapons must, within 60 days, imprint a serial number, remove the firearm, render it inoperable, or surrender it.

• Serialization requirements and recordkeeping

  • Federal firearms licensees must assign and apply a unique serial number to firearms owned by Minnesota residents.
  • Serial numbers must follow a specific format that uses the licensee’s number as a prefix, with a hyphen and a unique suffix.
  • Serial numbers must be clearly engraved or imprinted, durable, and kept in records per federal law.
  • Records of serial-number imprinting must be kept indefinitely and made available to state or local law enforcement on request.
  • By August 1, 2026, the public safety commissioner must issue a public notice educating the public about these serialization rules.

• Restrictions on assembling, manufacturing, and design files

  • Non-FFLs cannot assemble or manufacture more than three firearms in a calendar year.
  • Before assembling a firearm lacking a serial number, an individual must request a compliant serial-number from an FFL and have it imprinted within 10 days of assembly.
  • It is unlawful for non-FFLs to manufacture firearms using a CNC milling machine or 3D printer.
  • It is unlawful to sell, transfer, or distribute CAD files or other digital instructions that could be used to manufacture a ghost gun (e.g., CAD models for 3D printing).
  • Violations can lead to penalties of up to five years in prison or fines up to $10,000, or both.

• Licensing and imprinting specifics

  • FFLs must follow federal guidelines when imprinting serial numbers, including size, depth, and durability requirements.
  • For undetectable firearms, imprinting must be done on a steel plaque under federal law.
  • FFLs must keep and provide records of serial-number imprinting for inspections.

Significant changes to existing law

• Repeal of prior statute on serial-number removal/alteration
  • The bill repeals Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 609.667, which previously criminalized removing or altering firearm serial numbers and certain related possession offenses.
  • The new framework replaces that approach with updated serialization requirements, stricter prohibitions on ghost guns, and new penalties.

Enforcement and penalties

• Ghost guns and related offenses carry penalties up to five years in prison, or fines up to $10,000, or both.
• Violations related to manufacturing, assembling, or distributing design files can result in similar penalties.
• The bill empowers law enforcement to enforce the new rules and requires compliance with serialization and recordkeeping.

Implementation timeline and public information

• Public notice and education on serialization requirements must be issued by August 1, 2026.
• The bill sets out deadlines for serial-number imprinting or actions to come into compliance for current possessors, inheritors, and new residents.

Compliance summary

• Ghost guns: prohibited in possession, sale, transfer, or distribution; serial-number imperatives for compliance.
• Serial numbers: mandatory for all firearms owned by Minnesota residents; strict imprinting formats and recordkeeping.
• Assembly/manufacturing: limited for non-FFLs; prohibition on using CNC or 3D printing for firearm production.
• Design files: prohibition on distributing CAD/3D printing files that enable ghost guns.
• Repeal: removes the old serial-number removal/alteration statute (609.667) and replaces it with serialization-focused rules and penalties.

Implementation considerations

• The bill imposes new federal-law-aligned serialization processes at the state level and creates a public-facing education requirement.
• It tightens controls on 3D-printed and CNC-manufactured firearms and aims to reduce unregistered firearms by expanding the serial-number regime.

Relevant Terms - ghost gun - ghost guns - ghost gun possession - unfinished frame or receiver - unfinished firearm - unique serial number - serial number - federal firearms licensee (FFL) - public notice - three-dimensional printer (3D printer) - computer numerical control milling machine (CNC milling machine) - firearms without serial numbers - serialization of firearms - design files (CAD files, digital instructions) - Minnesota Statutes 624.7145, 624.7146, 624.7147 - repealer: Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 609.667 - recordkeeping - federal law references (18 U.S.C. and CFR 27.478.124) - August 1, 2026 deadline - compliance deadlines for new residents, inheritors, and existing possessors