Gun rights organizations across Minnesota issued urgent calls to action as the state Senate prepared to advance sweeping firearms legislation through the Finance Committee on April 28, 2026.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus sounded the alarm on social media on April 27. “ALERT: The Minnesota Senate is holding a hearing TOMORROW on an omnibus gun control bill that crams nearly every anti-gun wishlist item into one package,” the organization wrote. “What’s in it? Ban on future sales of semi-automatic rifles. ‘Ghost gun’ ban. Binary trigger ban. More funding for Red Flag (ERPO) enforcement. ‘School safety’ funding tied to gun control mandates. In other words: the usual ‘we swear this one will make you safer’ starter pack.”
The Caucus warned that opposition groups were already mobilizing. “Moms Demand Action is packing the room. Every Senator is being pressured to go on record. We need Minnesota gun owners to push back BEFORE the hearing starts at 8:30 AM tomorrow.”
The National Association for Gun Rights echoed the alarm. “ALL HANDS ON DECK FOR MINNESOTA!” the organization declared. “A massive gun control package is set to move through the Senate Finance Committee. The package includes a ban on most semi-automatic firearms, a magazine ban, red flag law expansion, ‘ghost gun’ laws, and more. It is the entire Virginia gun control playbook in one bill, and they are trying to pass it all at once.”
NAGR provided direct phone numbers for every Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, including Chair Senator John Marty, Vice Chair Senator Nick A. Frentz, and Senators Bobby Joe Champion, Zaynab Mohamed, Erin P. Murphy, Sandra L. Pappas, and Melissa H. Wiklund.
The alerts were responding to Senate File 3655, the central vehicle for Minnesota Democrats’ 2026 gun push. DFL Senator Zaynab Mohamed of Minneapolis authored the bill, which was introduced on February 19, 2026. SF 3655 prohibits the possession, sale, and transfer of firearms the bill designates “semiautomatic military-style assault weapons,” explicitly including the AR-15. It defines a “large-capacity magazine” as any capable of holding more than 10 rounds and bans their manufacture, sale, and possession.
Minnesotans who already own a banned firearm must apply to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for a “certification of ownership” by February 1, 2027, and renew it every three years. According to an analysis by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, obtaining that certificate could require owners to consent to warrantless home inspections for “safe storage” compliance. Transfers are largely banned, inheritance is permitted only if the inheritor completes the certification process, and violations carry felony charges.
SF 3655 was the subject of a marathon hearing on March 13, 2026, in the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, which passed the bill 6 to 3 on a party-line vote and re-referred it to the Senate Finance Committee. At the April 28 Finance Committee hearing, the bill was laid over on a voice vote and will be incorporated into SF 4067, a broader omnibus Gun Violence Prevention bill to be heard by the Finance Committee on April 29.
The Minnesota House remains the primary obstacle for gun control advocates. Because the chamber is tied 67 to 67 between Republicans and Democrats, no gun control bill has been able to advance there, and the companion House bill has stalled. Any movement would require bipartisan support that has not materialized.
NAGR has likened the package to “the entire Virginia gun control playbook in one bill” — a reference to Virginia’s 2020 experience where Democrats swept both chambers and rapidly enacted sweeping gun restrictions. Minnesota Democrats appear to be betting that Senate passage will eventually create enough political pressure to break the House deadlock.
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About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
