The Senate passes the trigger ban 34-33
The Senate took up the House language in HF 2609, the binary trigger ban and straw purchase penalty increase, amended it, and passed it 34-33 on a party-line vote. Because it was amended, the bill went back to the House.
At a glance
The floor session
- What: A Minnesota Senate floor session that debated, amended, and voted on one gun control bill: SF 5153/HF 2609, the binary trigger ban and straw purchase penalty increase
- When: Thursday, May 9, 2024
- Where: Minnesota Senate floor
- Outcome: As expected, the Senate adopted the House language in HF 2609, amended it further, and passed it 34-33
- Next: Because the bill was amended, it went back to the House for final consideration
- Our position: We opposed this bill
SF 5153 / HF 2609
Trigger ban and straw purchase penalty
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
- Senate: heard in Senate Judiciary and Public Safety on March 22, 2024 and passed on a voice vote.
- Senate: heard in Senate Finance on April 18, 2024 and passed on a voice vote.
- House: heard in House Public Safety in early April 2024.
- House: received a rules waiver from the Rules Committee on April 11, 2024, because it was past the committee deadline.
- House: scheduled for the floor on April 29, 2024, but tabled at the last minute.
- House: debated on the House floor on May 2, 2024 and passed 71-59.
What happened
- The Senate adopted the House language, amended it, and passed it 34-33.
- Our position: We opposed this bill.
- Bill text: HF 2609 at the Legislature
The Senate A7 amendment to change the binary trigger ban language
The Senate vote for passage of HF 2609
What happened next
After this day
- The bill went to a conference committee the week of May 13. The conference committee version passed the House on the evening of Friday, May 17, with bipartisan opposition; no Republicans voted for it.
- 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.
- In 2026, SF 4067 would have reenacted the ban retroactively to January 1, 2025. It passed the Senate 34-33 and died in the tied House.
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