BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Buying a firearm for someone who's legally barred from owning one is now a felony offense in Minnesota, punishable by up to two years in prison. If that firearm is used in the commission of a violent crime, the sentence will grow to five years behind bars.
Minnesota's new straw purchaser law went into effect Thursday, signaling a new era in combatting firearms trafficking and violent crimes in the state. Until now, it was classified as a gross misdemeanor, which is why those cases were often turned over to federal prosecutors who could bring more serious charges under federal codes.
Gov. Tim Walz held a press conference at Bloomington City Hall to highlight the change and thank lawmakers for passing the bill during the 2024 Session.
"I’m just grateful there’s a vision to make Minnesota safer, there’s a vision to get guns off the streets," Gov. Walz told reporters.
"That there’s a vision to reduce gun violence with absolutely no infringement on those who lawfully own guns who use them for things many of us cherish."
Bloomington Chief Booker Hodges said people need to think twice if someone asks them to buy a gun.
"If someone goes and asks you to go to the store and buy them milk, that's okay. If someone asks you to go buy them a gun, like Gru here, the light bulb should go off," Hodges said, while holding a printout of a scene from the Despicable Me movie.
"Why is someone asking you to buy them a gun?"
The idea gained new momentum this year after Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth were murdered during a stand-off in February.
Authorities say the killer, Shannon Gooden, used weapons his girlfriend Ashley Dyrdahl bought for him because he was prohibited from owning one due to prior felony conviction. Dyrdahl has been charged in federal court with illegally purchasing firearms for Gooden, who died from a self-inflicted wound after ambushing his victims.
"Our first responders, those who heed the sacred call to protect and serve warrant every protection we can give them," Rep. Kaela Berg of Burnsville, the Democrat who was the main author of the bill in the House, told reporters.
Previously prosecutors had to prove that the straw buyer knew the recipient of the gun was barred from having one, but the law that went into effect Thursday adds the line "“or reasonably should have known" the person was prohibited from possessing the firearm.
Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the new straw purchaser law will be another tool for the BCA and law enforcement partners to help clamp down on violent crimes and arms trafficking to those who have lost their right to possess a firearm.
"You don't have to pull the trigger to be held accountable when a violent crime occurs in Minnesota," Evans said.
"So, you should think twice before you decide to buy a firearm for an individual that’s prohibited from possessing it because you will be held accountable with a felony."
Republicans voted against the bill because it also included a ban on binary triggers. Those triggers, most often sold as an aftermarket accessory, allow for a second bullet to be fired upon the release of the trigger. The law bans any trigger that allows more than one round to be fired with a single squeeze.
That part of the law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025. It will make those triggers illegal, whether or not they're installed on a firearm.
Sen. Ron Latz, who chairs the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, acknowledged the binary trigger law may invite legal challenges. The timing of those lawsuits is uncertain.
"It probably would come into effect if someone is charged with a criminal violation of it," Sen. Latz said.
"The criminal defense may raise the constitutional issue. The court would have to determine if the issue is ripe and if there is standing for it."