Under John Monson's Christmas tree, there is a gun. Monson wouldn't say which kind - it's a surprise for his son.
Wait a minute. Can you even give a child a gun?
In Minnesota, a person under age 16 cannot possess a gun unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. However, there are some exceptions.
A person under age 16 may posses a gun without a parent or guardian if they're on the parent or guardian's land.
They can also possess a gun if they're participating in an organized target shooting program with adult supervision.
14 and 15-year-olds may possess a gun if they have a firearms safety certificate.
Now that you're up on the laws, you should also know the dangers. See the graphic below for statistics on youth gun violence or click here.
Monson, who owns Bill's Gun Shop & Range in Robbinsdale, says safety is the most important thing.
He says, if you're going to give someone a gun, you should also make sure they're trained. You can purchase gift certificates for time on a shooting range. His range is having a holiday sale of 10 percent off all training courses.
Guns sold legally today come with trigger locks. However, older guns may not have them.
Project ChildSafe, a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, offers gun owners free Project ChildSafe Safety Kits. The kits include a cable-style gun lock and safety instructions.
Law enforcement agencies in the MN metro that have free gun locks:
- Minneapolis Police Department
- St. Paul Police Department
- Brooklyn Park Police Department
- Plymouth Police Department
- Maple Grove Police Department
- Eden Prairie Police Department
- Lakeville Police Department
- Coon Rapids Police Department
- Burnsville Police Department
- Minnetonka Police Department
- Edina Police Department
- ATF - St. Paul Field Division/Group III
- West St Paul Police Department
- Mendota Heights Police Department
- Roseville Police Department
- Ramsey County Sheriffs Department
- Saint Paul Police Department
- Mounds View Police Department
- Ramsey County Sheriff's Department
- Maplewood Police Department
All law enforcement agencies in MN that have free gun locks:
(Alphabetical by city name)
A
Ada
- Norman County Sheriffs Department
Adams
- Adams Police Department
Aitkin
- Aitkin County Sheriffs Department
Akeley
- Akeley Police Department
Albany
- Albany Police Department
Alexandria
- Douglas County Sheriffs Department
Andover
- Anoka County Sheriffs Department
Appleton
- Appleton Police Department
Atwater
- Atwater Police Department
B
Bagley
- Clearwater County Sheriffs Department
Bayport
- Bayport Police Department
Benson
- Swift County Sheriffs Department
Big Lake
- Big Lake Police Department
Breckenridge
- Wilkin County Sheriffs Department
Buffalo
- Wright County Sheriffs Department
Burnsville
- Burnsville Police Department
C
Caledonia
- Caledonia Police Department
Cambridge
- Isanti County Sheriffs Department
Chaska
- Chaska Police Department
- Carver County Sheriffs Department
Circle Pines
- Lino Lakes Police Department
Cloquet
- Fond Du Lac Police Department
- Cloquet Police Department
Cold Spring
- Cold Spring Police Department
Cottage Grove
- Cottage Grove Police Department
Crookston
- Polk County Minnesota Sheriff's Office
- Polk County Sheriffs Department
D
Duluth
- Duluth Police Department
- St. Louis County Sheriff's Office
E
East Grand Forks
- East Grand Forks Police Department
Eden Prairie
- Eden Prairie Police Department
Elk River
- Elk River Police Department
- Sherburne County Sheriffs Department
Eveleth
- Eveleth Police Department
Excelsior
- South Lake Minnetonka Police Department
F
Fairmont
- Martin County Sheriffs Department
- Fairmont Police Department
Farmington
- Farmington Police Department
Fergus Falls
- Fergus Falls Police Department
Floodwood
- Floodwood Police Department
Foley
- Foley Police Department
- Benton County Sheriffs Department
Forest Lake
- Forest Lake Police Department
Frazee
- Frazee Police Department
G
Glencoe
- Glencoe Police Department
Glenwood
- Pope County Sheriffs Department
Goodview
- Goodview Police Department
Grand Marais
- Cook County Sheriffs Department
Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids Police Department
- Itasca County Sheriffs Department
H
Hallock
- Kittson County Sheriffs Department
Hamel
- Corcoran Police Department
Hastings
- Dakota County Sheriffs Department
Hawley
- Hawley Police Department
Hermantown
- Hermantown Police Department
- City of Hermantown Police Department
Hopkins
- Hopkins Police Department
I
Inver Grove Heights
- Inver Grove Heights Police Department
Isle
- Isle Police Department
Ivanhoe
- Lincoln County Sheriff's Department
J
Jackson
- Jackson County Sheriffs Department
Janesville
- Janesville Police Department
K
Kenyon
- Kenyon Police Department
L
Lake City
- Lake City Police Department
Lakeville
- Lakeville Police Department
Le Sueur
- Le Sueur Police Department
Lewiston
- Lewiston Police Department
Litchfield
- Meeker County Sheriffs Department
Little Falls
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Little Falls Police Department
- Morrison County Sheriffs Department
Long Lake
- Orono Police Department
Long Prairie
- Long Prairie Police Department
- Todd County Sheriffs Department
M
Madelia
- Madelia Police Department
Mankato
- Blue Earth County Sheriffs Department
Mantorville
- Dodge County Sheriffs Department
Maple Plain
- West Hennepin Public Safety
Marshall
- Lyon County Sheriffs Department
Medina
- Medina Police Department
Milaca
- Milaca Police Department
- Mille Lacs County Sheriffs Department
Minneapolis
- Minneapolis Police Department
- Brooklyn Park Police Department
- St. Anthony Police Department
- Hennepin County Sheriffs Department
- Coon Rapids Police Department
- Spring Lake Park Police Department
- Brooklyn Center Police Department
- Crystal Police Department
- Plymouth Police Department
- New Hope Police Department
- Edina Police Department
Minnetonka
- Minnetonka Police Department
Minnetrista
- Minnetrista/st Bonifacius Police Department
Moorhead
- Moorhead Police Department
- Clay County Sheriffs Department
Mora
- Kanabec County Sheriffs Department
Morris
- Stevens County Sheriffs Department
N
New Prague
- New Prague Police Department
New Ulm
- Brown County Sheriffs Department
North Branch
- North Branch Police Department
O
Onamia
- Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department
Ortonville
- Big Stone County Sheriffs Department
- Ortonville Police Department
Osseo
- Osseo Police Department
- Maple Grove Police Department
Owatonna
- Steele County Sheriffs Department
P
Park Rapids
- Hubbard County Sheriffs Department
Pequot Lakes
- Pequot Lakes Police Department
Pine River
- Pine River Police Department
Princeton
- Princeton Police Department
Proctor
- Proctor Police Department
R
Red Wing
- Goodhue County Sheriffs Department
Rice
- Rice Police Department
Rockford
- Rockford Elem.
Rogers
- Rogers Police Department
Rosemount
- City of Rosemount Police Department
Rushford
- Rushford Police Department
S
Saginaw
- Minnesota State Patrol
Saint Cloud
- Stearns County Sheriffs Department
- VA Police
Saint Francis
- St Francis Police Department
St. Paul
- ATF - St. Paul Field Division/Group III
- West St Paul Police Department
- Mendota Heights Police Department
- Roseville Police Department
- Ramsey County Sheriffs Department
- Saint Paul Police Department
- Mounds View Police Department
- Ramsey County Sheriff's Department
- Maplewood Police Department
Sartell
- Sartell Police Department
Savage
- Savage Police Department
Shakopee
- Scott County Sheriffs Department
- Shakopee Police Department
Slayton
- Slayton Police Department
Springfield
- Springfield Police Department
Starbuck
- Starbuck Police Department
Stillwater
- Washington County Sheriffs Department
Walker
- Cass County Sheriffs Department
White Bear Lake
- White Bear Lake Police Department
Windom
- Cottonwood County Sheriffs Department
Winona
- Winona Police Department
- Winona County Sheriffs Department
Winthrop
- Winthrop Police Department
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