Senate Finance passes two gun control bills
The Senate Finance Committee heard SF 4312, “safe” storage, and SF 5153, the binary trigger ban. No public testimony was taken, and both bills passed on a party-line voice vote.
At a glance
The hearing
- What: A Senate Finance Committee hearing on two gun control bills. No public testimony was taken.
- When: Thursday, April 18, 2024, starting at 8:30 AM
- Outcome: Both bills passed on a party-line voice vote
- Our position: We opposed both bills
SF 4312
“Safe” storage
What it does
- This revised “safe storage” bill was different from the bill heard in 2023. It would have required firearms outside your direct physical control to be secured with a locking device or in a “locked firearm storage unit.”
- Unlike the 2023 bill, it did not require firearms to be stored unloaded and separate from their ammunition.
- Violations ranged from a misdemeanor to a felony, and could make you a prohibited person who may not possess firearms or ammunition.
Bill status
- Heard in Senate Judiciary and Public Safety on March 22, 2024 and passed on a voice vote.
What happened
- Passed Senate Finance on a party-line voice vote.
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: SF 4312 at the Legislature
SF 5153
Ban on binary triggers and more
What it does
- Banned possessing or selling binary triggers, in language broad enough that it might also have banned other trigger devices.
- Increased the penalties for transferring firearms to prohibited persons.
- Required a report from the BCA on gun trafficking investigations.
Bill status
- Heard in Senate Judiciary and Public Safety on March 22, 2024 and passed on a voice vote.
What happened
- Passed Senate Finance on a party-line voice vote.
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: SF 5153 at the Legislature
What happened next
After this day
- SF 4312 went no further. It was dead as of May 9, 2024.
- On May 9, 2024, the Senate took up the House version of the trigger ban, HF 2609, instead of SF 5153, amended it, and passed it 34-33.
- The binary trigger ban was folded into HF 5247, the omnibus tax bill, in the last 90 minutes of session and signed by Governor Walz. Our lawsuit, Caucus v. Walz, struck it down under the single-subject rule in August 2025; the Court of Appeals affirmed on May 26, 2026, and the State did not seek review. The decision is final: binary triggers are legal in Minnesota.
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