Ways & Means sends two gun bills to the floor
The House Ways and Means Committee heard HF 601, mandatory lost and stolen reporting, and HF 4300, “safe” storage. Both passed on party-line roll call votes and headed to the House floor.
At a glance
The hearing
- What: A House Ways and Means Committee hearing on HF 601 and HF 4300
- When: April 24, 2024, starting at 12:00 PM
- Where: State Office Building, Room 200
- Outcome: Both bills passed on party-line roll call votes, clearing them for the House floor
- Our position: We opposed both bills. Our written testimony is below.
HF 4300
“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 gross misdemeanor to a felony, and could make you a prohibited person who may not possess firearms or ammunition.
What happened
- Passed on a party-line roll call vote.
- Chief author: Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL, HD 40B)
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: HF 4300 at the Legislature
Our testimony
- SVP Rob Doar testified against HF 4300 at the February 29, 2024 House Public Safety hearing (the video is no longer online).
- Our written testimony opposing HF 4300 to House Public Safety, February 29, 2024
- Our written testimony opposing HF 4300 to House Ways and Means, April 24, 2024
Our 2023 testimony
- HF 4300 was a different bill, but these cover our opposition to the 2023 storage bill, HF 396.
- Our 2023 press release on the House Public Safety hearings
- Our written testimony on the 2023 bill
- Chair Bryan Strawser testified against HF 396 in 2023 (the video is no longer online).
HF 601
Mandatory lost and stolen reporting
What it does
- A “duty to report” the theft or loss of a firearm to law enforcement as soon as “practicable,” and no later than 48 hours after you knew or “should have reasonably known” of the loss or theft.
- Violations:
- A first violation is a fine (petty misdemeanor).
- A second violation is a misdemeanor.
- A third or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor.
- Reporting a firearm lost or stolen would have given immunity from prosecution under Minnesota’s storage laws.
What happened
- Passed on a party-line roll call vote.
- Chief author: Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (DFL, HD 64A)
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: HF 601 at the Legislature
Our testimony
- Our 2023 press release on the House Public Safety hearings
- Our written testimony on HF 601 from 2023
- Our written testimony on HF 601 to House Public Safety, 2024
- Our written testimony on HF 601 to House Ways and Means, April 2024 (this hearing)
- No spoken testimony was allowed on HF 601 at the 2024 House Public Safety hearing because it had been heard in 2023.
What happened next
After this day
- HF 601 passed the House 68-63 on April 29, 2024.
- HF 4300 was tabled on April 29, then passed the House 68-64 on May 2, 2024.
- Neither bill moved in the Senate. Both were dead as of May 9, 2024.
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