To purchase a firearm in Minnesota, the buyer must either have a Permit to Purchase/Transfer or a Permit to Carry issued by their local sheriff’s office.

An individual who meets any of the following criteria is prohibited from obtaining either of these permits and owning or purchasing a firearm:^[1]

• a person under the age of 18 years except that a person under 18 may possess ammunition designed for use in a firearm that the person may lawfully possess and may carry or possess a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon (i) in the actual presence or under the direct supervision of the person’s parent or guardian, (ii) for military drill under the auspices of a legally recognized military organization and competent supervision, (iii) for instruction, competition, or target practice on a firing range approved by the chief of police or county sheriff in whose jurisdiction the range is located and under direct supervision; or (iv) if the person has completed a course designed to teach marksmanship and safety with a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon and approved by the commissioner of natural resources;
• a person who has been convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent or convicted as an extended jurisdiction juvenile for committing, in this state or elsewhere, a crime of violence.^[2] For purposes of this section, crime of violence includes crimes in other states or jurisdictions that would have been crimes of violence as herein defined if they had been committed in this state;
• a person who is or has ever been committed in Minnesota or elsewhere by a judicial determination that the person has a mental illness, is developmentally disabled, or mentally ill and dangerous to the public^[3] to a treatment facility, or who has ever been found incompetent to stand trial or not guilty because of mental illness, unless the person’s ability to possess a firearm and ammunition has been restored;^[4] 
• a person who has been convicted in Minnesota or elsewhere of a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor violation,^[5] unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other such violation or a similar law of another state; or a person who is or has ever been committed by a judicial determination for treatment for the chronic use of a controlled substance or marijuana,^[6] unless the person’s ability to possess a firearm and ammunition has been restored;
• a person who has been committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota or elsewhere by a judicial determination that the person is chemically dependent^[7] unless the person has completed treatment or the person’s ability to possess a firearm and ammunition has been restored. Property rights may not be abated, but the courts may restrict access;
• a peace officer who is informally admitted to a treatment facility^[8] for chemical dependency unless the officer possesses a certificate from the head of the treatment facility discharging or provisionally discharging the officer from the treatment facility. Property rights may not be diminished, but the courts may restrict access;
• a person, including a person under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, who has been charged with committing a crime of violence and has been placed in a pretrial diversion program by the court before disposition until the person has completed the diversion program and the charge of committing the crime of violence has been dismissed;
• a person who has been convicted in another state of committing an offense similar to the offense^[9] against a family or household member^[10] unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other violation or a similar law of another state;
• a person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of assaulting a family or household member and who was found by the court to have used a firearm in any way during the commission of the assault is prohibited from possessing any type of firearm or ammunition for the period determined by the sentencing court;
• a person who:
  • has been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
  • is a fugitive from justice as a result of having fled from any state to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding;
  • is an unlawful user of any controlled substance;^[5]
  • has been judicially committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota or elsewhere as a person who has a mental illness, is developmentally disabled, or is mentally ill and dangerous to the public;^[3]
  • is an alien who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States;
  • has been discharged from the armed forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions;
  • has renounced the person’s citizenship having been a citizen of the United States; or
  • is disqualified from possessing a firearm^[11] as amended through March 1, 2014;
• a person who has been convicted of the following offenses at the gross misdemeanor level, unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of any other violation of these sections: crimes committed for the benefit of a gang;^[12] assaults motivated by bias;^[13] false imprisonment;^[14] neglect or endangerment of a child;^[15] burglary in the fourth degree;^[16] setting a spring gun;^[17] riot;^[18] or harassment or stalking.^[19] For purposes of this paragraph, the specified gross misdemeanor convictions include crimes committed in other states or jurisdictions that would have been gross misdemeanors if conviction occurred in this state;
• a person who has been convicted of a violation^[20] if the court determined that the assault was against a family or household member,^[10] unless three years have elapsed since the date of conviction and, during that time, the person has not been convicted of another violation;^[21] 
• a person who is subject to an order for protection; ^[22]  or
• a person who is subject to an extreme risk protection order.

A Permit to Carry is required to carry a concealed firearm in Minnesota.

How to Apply

A person must be 21 or older to apply for a concealed carry permit in Minnesota.

1. Complete a firearm safety training course as required by statute.^[24]
2. Complete a Minnesota Uniform Firearm Application Permit to Carry a Pistol.
3. Apply to the sheriff’s department local to the applicant’s residence.
4. The sheriff’s office will approve or deny the application within 30 days of receiving it.^[25]

Reciprocity

A nonresident of Minnesota may carry a concealed weapon in the state if they have been issued a concealed carry permit from any state except the following prohibited states:^[26]

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.