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Read. Follow. Verify.Minnesota House Bill 493 narrows firearm transfer prohibitions and repeals domestic compulsion defense
Last action · February 13, 2025: Introduction and first reading, referred to Public Safety Finance and PolicySponsors: Peggy Scott and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Minnesota House File 493 narrows the felony penalty for transferring certain firearms to ineligible persons, applying it specifically to pistols and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons rather than any firearm, while also repealing the of compulsion by a family or household member.
Changes criminal liability for transferring firearms and removes a specific legal defense for defendants accused of illegal transfers under duress, taking effect on August 1, 2025.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
firearm sellers and transferors
Criminal penalties and legal definitions regarding the transfer of certain firearms to ineligible persons are modified.
individuals ineligible to possess firearms
The types of regulated firearm transfers restricted by law are narrowed to pistols and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What firearms are covered under the modified transfer prohibition?
What happens to the affirmative defense for transfers made under duress from a family member?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 13, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduction and first reading, referred to Public Safety Finance and Policy
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Narrowing of Firearm Transfer Restrictions and Removal of Defenses
The legislation limits felony transfer prohibitions to specific weapon categories while simultaneously eliminating a specific statutory affirmative defense based on domestic compulsion.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.revisor.mn.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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