State lawmakers are set for a high-stakes gun-control hearing in St. Paul on Tuesday, when the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee takes up two bills that would sharply restrict many commonly owned firearms and magazines. House Files 3433 and 3402 would, respectively, ban possession of a wide range of semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and outlaw magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, forcing current owners to register, surrender, or modify affected guns and magazines on a deadline. The hearing at the State Capitol is the next formal step in the bills' march through the Legislature.
Hearing set this week at the Capitol
The House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday in State Capitol Room 120 to review House Files 3433 and 3402, according to House Live. Both bills appear on the official agenda, and the meeting is set to be webcast so Minnesotans can follow along remotely. Committee chairs typically allow a mix of in-person and remote testimony before members decide whether to move a bill forward to the full House or park it in committee.
What the bills would do
House File 3433 would ban possession of semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and create a certification system requiring current owners who want to keep those firearms to seek certification from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension by May 1, 2027, and to follow BCA storage rules, as laid out in the bill text from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. The proposal also makes transfers of covered weapons unlawful and attaches felony penalties for violations.
House File 3402 defines a "large-capacity magazine" as any feeding device that accepts more than ten rounds, prohibits manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of those magazines, and requires people who owned them before July 1, 2026 to surrender, modify, render inoperable, or remove them from the state by July 1, 2027, according to the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Both bills spell out criminal penalties tied to noncompliance, and the full legal language is posted on the Revisor's site.
Who is pushing back
Gun-rights advocates are already lining up against the measures. The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action has labeled the bills sweeping and urged members to oppose them, arguing they would violate the Second Amendment's "common use" standard, according to NRA-ILA. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus has posted testimony guidance and is encouraging supporters to submit written comments ahead of the committee deadline, per Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus.
Political math and next steps
Introduced in mid-February, both proposals are already drawing substantial legislative support. HF3433 lists more than three dozen House co-sponsors, while HF3402 carries a slate of DFL authors and cosponsors, according to bill trackers such as LegiScan. During Tuesday's hearing, committee members will hear testimony, question witnesses, and can vote to advance or table the bills. A vote to advance would send the measures to the House floor for broader debate. Lawmakers and stakeholders will also be watching the nuts and bolts of implementation, including cost, enforcement, and any BCA rulemaking timelines, if either bill makes it out of committee.
How to follow and weigh in
Members of the public can attend the hearing in person or watch the webcast, with viewing details and logistics available through the committee page, according to House Live. Advocacy groups are already organizing testimony: the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus has urged written submissions by 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, to the committee contact listed on its guidance page and has posted sample testimony and procedural tips, per Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. For now, Tuesday's committee hearing is the most immediate chance for Minnesotans to make their voices heard as the two bills move through the legislative process.
