The House passes the trigger ban and storage
In a floor session of nearly 13 hours, the House passed HF 2609, the binary trigger ban and straw purchase penalty, 71-59, and HF 4300, mandatory “safe” storage, 68-64. An amendment to strip the trigger ban failed 65-67.
At a glance
The floor session
- What: A Minnesota House floor session that debated and voted on gun control bills
- When: May 2, 2024. It started at 11:45 AM and wrapped up around 12:30 AM.
- Where: Minnesota House floor
- Outcome: HF 2609 passed 71-59. HF 4300 passed 68-64.
- Our position: We opposed both bills
- Video: Highlights from the debate are on our YouTube channel.
HF 2609
Trigger ban and straw purchase penalty
What it does
- Intended to ban “binary triggers,” but as written at this point it might also have banned commonly used triggers like those on Glock handguns.
- Increased the penalties for transferring firearms to prohibited persons.
- Required a report from the BCA on gun trafficking investigations.
Bill status
- Heard in House Public Safety in early April 2024 and passed on a party-line voice vote.
- Received a rules waiver from the Rules Committee on April 11, 2024, because it was past the committee deadline.
- Scheduled for the House floor on April 29, 2024, but tabled at the last minute.
What happened
- Rep. Paul Novotny’s DE2 amendment to remove the binary trigger ban failed 65-67.
- The bill passed 71-59 and moved to the Senate.
- Chief author: Rep. Kaela Berg (DFL, HD 55B)
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: HF 2609 at the Legislature
How the House voted on the DE2 amendment from Rep. Paul Novotny to remove the binary trigger ban
How the House voted on final passage
HF 4300
Mandatory “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.
Bill status
- Scheduled for the House floor on April 29, 2024, but tabled at the last minute.
What happened
- The bill passed 68-64 after a nearly 12-hour floor debate and moved to the Senate.
- No Republicans voted for the bill.
- One DFLer, Rep. Lislegard, voted against the bill.
- 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).
How the House voted on final passage
What happened next
After this day
- HF 4300 never moved in the Senate. It was dead as of May 9, 2024.
- On May 9, 2024, the Senate amended HF 2609 and passed it 34-33. A conference committee version passed the House on May 17 with no Republican votes.
- 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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