Minnesota Proposes Semi-Auto Bans and Repealing Gun Preemption
Minnesota lawmakers are pushing two measures that would hit gun owners hard: proposed bans on popular semi-automatic firearms and an effort to repeal the state's firearms preemption law. Anna Leamy, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at the MN Gun Owners Caucus, walked Bearing Arms host Cam through what is coming. The segment ran November 9, 2026. Leamy also covered what Second Amendment supporters can do to push back before any bill reaches a final vote.
Key Details
The core fight centers on three issues. Each one carries a different level of risk for Minnesota owners.
- Semi-automatic bans: Proposals target popular semi-automatic firearms. Bans on common firearms typically sweep in standard-capacity magazines and the rifles and pistols that use them, so owners should read any bill text closely for definitions.
- Preemption repeal: Repealing the state's preemption law would end the statewide rule that keeps firearms regulation in the hands of the state. Cities and counties could then write their own gun ordinances.
- Source and speaker: Leamy represents the MN Gun Owners Caucus. Her organization advocates for gun owners at the Capitol and tracks legislation as it moves.
- Publication: Bearing Arms released the conversation on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 1:56 p.m. Eastern.
The interview does not give bill numbers, committee schedules, or vote counts. Gun owners who want exact language need to pull the bill text from the Minnesota Legislature's website and track hearing dates there. Verify every number and definition against the official text before you act on it.
Background
Minnesota has long combined a restrictive general framework with a state preemption statute. Minnesota Statutes section 471.633 generally blocks local governments from adopting firearms rules stricter than state law. That single provision is why a city council cannot write its own carry or storage rules in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Repealing it would reverse that structure and open the door to a patchwork of local rules across the state.
The national legal backdrop matters too. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), the Supreme Court held that modern gun laws must be consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Court protected arms in common use for lawful purposes, which is the main argument against bans on popular semi-automatic rifles. Those two decisions set the test any Minnesota ban would have to survive in federal court.
Gun control fights in Minnesota have grown more intense over the past several years. Each legislative session now brings a new round of proposals, and the outcome often depends on which party controls each chamber. Advocates on both sides treat any change to the preemption statute as a structural shift, not a routine bill.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
If you live in Minnesota, the semi-auto proposals affect your current rifles and any purchase you plan this year. A ban written to cover popular designs can reclassify firearms you own today. Some bans grandfather existing guns while blocking new sales. Others require registration or surrender. Read the grandfather clause first, because it tells you whether your rifle stays legal after the effective date.
Preemption repeal affects every owner who travels within the state. Right now a gun owner can expect the same rules in Duluth as in Rochester. If cities and counties regain the power to regulate firearms, you could cross a city line and face new storage, carry, or transport rules. Anyone who commutes, hunts, or competes across county lines needs to track local ordinances before repeal, not after.
Outside Minnesota, watch this fight closely. Neighboring states and any state with a preemption fight often copy language that works elsewhere. A repeal that passes in Minnesota gives other legislatures a template. Gun owners in every state should treat Minnesota as a test case.
DownRange Analysis
A ban on popular semi-automatic rifles faces a hard road under Heller. The Court asked whether a firearm is in common use, and modern sporting rifles sit squarely in that category. Bruen then demands a historical analog for the regulation. Ban proponents have struggled to produce one that satisfies courts. A Minnesota ban would almost certainly draw an immediate federal challenge, and the state would bear the burden of defending it.
Preemption repeal is the more dangerous move because it doesn't need to survive a court test to cause damage. Local patchworks create compliance traps for ordinary people. The gun owner who never breaks a law can still get charged over a local ordinance they didn't know existed.
So what do you do right now? Contact your state representative and senator, and ask where they stand on preemption specifically. Join or support the MN Gun Owners Caucus. Keep your receipts, serial numbers, and magazine inventory organized. If you own a rifle that could fall under a ban definition, get the current bill text and talk to a Minnesota firearms attorney before any deadline arrives.
