Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 609.666 (2026)

Negligent Storage Of Firearms

✓ current as of May 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MN-REVrevisor.mn.gov (official) Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Subdivision 1.Definitions.

For purposes of this section, the following words have the meanings given.

(a) "Firearm" means a device designed to be used as a weapon, from which is expelled a projectile by the force of any explosion or force of combustion.

(b) "Child" means a person under the age of 18 years.

(c) "Loaded" means the firearm has ammunition in the chamber or magazine, if the magazine is in the firearm, unless the firearm is incapable of being fired by a child who is likely to gain access to the firearm.

Subd. 2.Access to firearms.

A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor who negligently stores or leaves a loaded firearm in a location where the person knows, or reasonably should know, that a child is likely to gain access, unless reasonable action is taken to secure the firearm against access by the child.

Subd. 3.Limitations.

Subdivision 2 does not apply to a child's access to firearms that was obtained as a result of an unlawful entry.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases, 2002–2016 · leading case: State of Minnesota v. David Lee Haywood, 886 N.W.2d 485 (Minn. 2016).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

State of Minnesota v. David Lee Haywood, 886 N.W.2d 485 (Minn. 2016). · cites it 6× “Minn.Stat. § 609.666, subd. 2 (2014). Section 609.”

State of Minnesota v. David Lee Haywood, 869 N.W.2d 902 (Minn. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 7× “See Minn.Stat. § 609.666, subd. 2 (2012) (negligent storage of firearms); Minn.”

People v. Heber, 192 Misc. 2d 412 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2002). “22 (1999); Md Ann Code, art 27, § 36K (1996); Mass Gen Laws Ann, ch 140, § 131L; Minn Stat Ann § 609.666 (West 1987, 2000 Supp); NC Gen Stat Ann § 14-315.”

State of Minnesota v. Javon Lamar Johnson (Minn. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 6× “Johnson was charged with gross misdemeanor negligent storage of a loaded firearm, in violation of Minn. Stat. § 609.666 , subd. 2 (2012). A two-day jury trial was held in July 2014.”

State of Minnesota v. Claude Monroe Washington (Minn. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “19 (2012) (providing that for purposes of chapters 97A, 97B, and 97C, “‘[f]irearm’ means a gun that discharges shot or a projectile by means of an explosive, a gas, or compressed air”); Minn. Stat. § 609.666 , subd. 1(a) (2012) (stating that for purposes of negligent storage of…”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.