Tomorrow, Friday, March 13, the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear SF 3655, a de facto hunting ban that reclassifies your standard hunting rifles and magazines as “illegal contraband,” SF 3549, which invites a confusing “patchwork” of local gun laws across the state, and SF 2320, which allows local bureaucrats to ban firearms on public lands.
Can you say déjà vu? After your voices successfully stalled HF 3433 and HF 3351, the anti-gun lobby isn’t backing down; they’ve simply moved the fight to the Senate. We cannot afford to let our guard down while extremists work to turn millions of law-abiding Minnesota hunters and firearm owners into criminals.
Use the Take Action Button below to contact the committee and urge them to vote “NO” on SF 3655, SF 3549, SF 2320.
How SF 3655 Criminalizes Minnesota’s Hunters & Firearm Owners
- A Hunting Ban in All But Name: By banning common features like threaded barrels and adjustable stocks, SF 3655 outlaws the very tools used for hunting, youth shooting sports, and predator control.
- Mandatory Government Registration: To keep firearms you already legally own, you will be forced to register them as “assault weapons” with the state, creating a permanent government database of law-abiding owners.
- Confined to Quarters: This is the ultimate poison pill. Under this bill, any “registered” firearm is legally restricted to your private residence or a licensed shooting range. Taking your registered rifle onto a friend’s private property or public hunting land would be a criminal offense, effectively ending your ability to hunt in Minnesota.
- The 10-Round Trap & Warrantless Inspections: Classified magazines become contraband, and registration may allow law enforcement to inspect your home for “safe storage” without a warrant.
- The End of Family Heirlooms: Transfers are banned. You will no longer be able to sell, gift, or even will your firearms to your children or grandchildren.
The Chaos of SF 3549: A Localized Patchwork of Laws
SF 3549 is just as dangerous. It repeals Minnesota’s long-standing preemption law, which currently ensures uniform gun laws across the state.
- Repeals State Preemption: Allows every town and city to create its own conflicting firearm and ammunition ordinances.
- Accidental Felonies: A hunter driving to a favorite spot could become a criminal just by crossing a city line where their gear or ammunition is suddenly banned.
- Attack on Gun Clubs: Allows anti-hunting councils to use local zoning to shut down shooting ranges and hunt clubs that have operated safely for generations.
More Chaos from SF 2320: Closing Public Lands to Minnesota Sportsmen
- Local Bans on Public Property: Grants local governments the power to prohibit firearms and ammunition in any government-owned building or—critically—on government-owned land.
- Loss of Access: This could effectively close off local trails, parks, and public parcels traditionally used for hunting or accessing hunting grounds, turning a peaceful walk to your deer stand into a misdemeanor.
Committee Hearing Information
The meeting is scheduled to be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Senate building, room 1200. If you are unable to attend, you can watch online.
We Cannot Win This Fight Alone
The anti-gun lobby is betting that you’ve stopped paying attention because the House bills were stalled. We need to show them they are wrong, but we cannot win this fight alone. Please share this alert with your hunting and shooting buddies immediately. Our strength is in our numbers, and every single email to the committee counts. Urge them to contact the committee now to vote “No” on SF 3655, SF 3549, and SF 2320. These bills are only egregious overreaches that punish law-abiding sportsmen while doing nothing to stop actual criminals.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
