Title
Creating Chapter 225A of the Legislative Code titled Firearms Regulations to establish regulations for Assault weapons, Binary triggers, Ghost guns and Signage.
Body
SECTION 1
WHEREAS, Mayor Melvin Carter and municipal leaders from across Minnesota have called on state lawmakers to take urgent legislative action on gun violence prevention, or else to allow cities to lead; and
WHEREAS, state preemption laws currently prohibit cities from enacting common-sense gun violence prevention ordinances to regulate firearms, ammunition, and its related components; and
WHEREAS, a coalition which includes mayors and city officials from Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights, Eden Prairie, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Mounds View, Richfield, Rochester, Shoreview, Saint Louis Park, Stillwater, and West Saint Paul has proposed local ordinances empowering municipalities to protect communities and children from gun-violence; and
WHEREAS, the proposed local ordinances would:
- ban assault weapons, large-capacity magazines, and binary triggers within city limits;
- require all firearms to have serial numbers and prohibit untraceable “ghost guns;”
- restrict firearms in sensitive public spaces including parks, libraries, recreation centers, and city buildings;
- mandate clear signage at public facilities to inform residents and encourage compliance;
- establish penalties for violations and authorize enforcement by local public safety officials; and
WHEREAS, the proposed ordinance is designed to take effect only upon the repeal, amendment, or judicial invalidation of state preemption laws that currently prohibit local regulation of firearms, ensuring legal enforceability while signaling the city’s readiness to act when empowered; and
WHEREAS, the number of firearms recovered in Saint Paul in 2020 was (660), in 2021, (639), in 2022 (603), in 2023 (633), in 2024 (628), and in 2025 as of October (442); and...
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