We are an online store. You order here, and the firearm goes to a licensed dealer in the Twin Cities metro where you do the paperwork and pick it up.
More than half of Minnesota lives in the seven-county metro, and most of those people buy a gun for one of three reasons: a permit to carry, the house, or the annual trip north in November. The process is the same for all three, with one extra step for handguns that is worth starting early.
Minnesota requires a permit to purchase or a permit to carry before a dealer can transfer a handgun or what the statute calls a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon (Minn. Stat. 624.7131, with the definition in 624.712). In the metro you apply to your own city's police department. Minneapolis and St. Paul both take applications, as do suburban departments from Eagan to Maple Grove. A few small cities and townships contract for policing and send you to the county sheriff instead. There is no fee. The department has up to 30 days under the 2023 amendments, and the permit is good for a year, so apply before you shop.
Bolt-action and lever rifles, pump shotguns and most field guns need no permit. For those you walk into the dealer with your ID and the transfer fee.
People often assume Minneapolis or St. Paul have their own gun ordinances. They do not, beyond discharge rules. State preemption (Minn. Stat. 471.633) keeps firearm law uniform, so nothing about the purchase changes if you live in Uptown, Highland Park or Lakeville. What does differ is the office you deal with: city police for the purchase permit, county sheriff for the carry permit.
Private sales are another matter to know about. Since August 2023 a private transfer of a pistol or a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon needs the buyer's permit and a signed record of transfer, or a trip through a dealer (Minn. Stat. 624.7134). If you are buying used from a stranger online, doing the transfer at a dealer protects both of you.
General information, not legal advice. The statutes and links are on our Minnesota gun laws page. A Minnesota attorney can answer questions about your own situation.
A permit to carry from the Hennepin or Ramsey County sheriff is valid statewide. In practice, city carry means knowing the off-limits list: schools, courthouses, federal buildings, the airport past security, and any private business that posts a conforming sign, which is common downtown, at stadiums and in hospitals. Your employer can also bar carry at work, though not a gun left in your car in the lot. Our permit to carry guide has the details and the training requirement.
The metro sits on the seam between the old shotgun zone and rifle country, and the statewide zone ended with the 2026 season, with counties allowed to keep it locally. If you hunt family land in the south metro or beyond, read our deer rifle guide before you replace the slug gun. Some metro permit areas also have special rules and early antlerless hunts, so check the DNR regulations for the area number.
Yes. Order here, name a licensed dealer anywhere in the metro, and we ship the firearm to them. You complete ATF Form 4473 and the background check at their counter. For a handgun or a semiautomatic military-style assault weapon, bring your permit to purchase or permit to carry.
At the police department of the city you live in. Minneapolis and St. Paul residents apply to their own police departments, and most suburbs do the same. If your city or township has no police department, apply to the county sheriff. The application is free under Minn. Stat. 624.7131.
At the sheriff of the county you live in, not the city police. For Minneapolis that is the Hennepin County Sheriff, for St. Paul the Ramsey County Sheriff. Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Scott and Carver residents go to their own sheriff. Most metro sheriffs want an appointment or an online start to the application.
No. Minn. Stat. 471.633 preempts local firearm regulation. Cities may regulate discharge of firearms and adopt rules identical to state law. Buying, owning and carrying follow the same statutes in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington and every suburb.
If you already hold a permit, usually under a week from order to pickup, depending on shipping and how fast the dealer logs the gun in. If you need a permit to purchase first, add the time your police department takes, up to 30 days by statute.
Dealers set their own fees. Expect roughly $25 to $60, sometimes more in the core cities. Ask whether the fee is per gun or per order.
State law does not list public transit among the places off limits to permit holders, but transit agencies and stations can involve other rules, and federal and school property along the way are off limits. Check Minn. Stat. 624.714 and 609.66, and ask an attorney if your commute is the question.
There are indoor pistol ranges on both sides of the river and outdoor rifle and shotgun clubs in the ring counties, most within 45 minutes. Public land for shooting is scarce in the metro. Wildlife management areas are for hunting in season, not target practice, unless a range is posted.