Minnesota’s new law strengthens enforcement of firearm surrender in domestic violence cases

Minnesota has launched a new statewide system designed to ensure that people legally prohibited from possessing firearms actually surrender their guns.

The new Aug. 1 law, passed as HF 4075, standardizes how courts, law enforcement agencies and licensed gun dealers handle firearm surrender and compliance checks when someone is under a qualifying court order or convicted of certain crimes.

Before the new law took effect, judges could order firearm surrender in some domestic violence cases, but enforcement was inconsistent across Minnesota. There was no statewide process for how guns were surrendered, how proof was filed or how compliance was verified, and each county handled the steps differently.

Jess Palyan, policy program manager at Violence Free Minnesota, said the law creates a uni...