Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 609.67 (2026)

Machine Guns And Short-Barreled Shotguns

✓ current as of May 2026

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Subdivision 1.Definitions.

(a) "Machine gun" means any firearm designed to discharge, or capable of discharging automatically more than once by a single function of the trigger.

(b) "Shotgun" means a weapon designed, redesigned, made or remade which is intended to be fired from the shoulder and uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.

(c) "Short-barreled shotgun" means a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length less than 26 inches.

(d) "Trigger activator" means:

(1) a removable manual or power driven trigger activating device constructed and designed so that, when attached to a firearm, the rate at which the trigger may be pulled increases and the rate of fire of the firearm increases to that of a machine gun;

(2) a device that allows a semiautomatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger or by harnessing the recoil of energy of the semiautomatic firearm to which it is affixed so that the trigger resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger; or

(3) a device that allows a firearm to shoot one shot on the pull of the trigger and a second shot on the release of the trigger without requiring a subsequent pull of the trigger.

(e) "Machine gun conversion kit" means any part or combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled, but does not include a spare or replacement part for a machine gun that is possessed lawfully under section 609.67, subdivision 3.

Subd. 2.Acts prohibited.

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, whoever owns, possesses, or operates a machine gun, or any trigger activator or machine gun conversion kit may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 20 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $35,000, or both.

(b) Except as otherwise provided herein, whoever owns, possesses, or operates a short-barreled shotgun may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

Subd. 3.Uses permitted.

The following persons may own or possess a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun provided the provisions of subdivision 4 are complied with:

(1) law enforcement officers for use in the course of their duties;

(2) chief executive officers of correctional facilities and other personnel thereof authorized by them and persons in charge of other institutions for the retention of persons convicted or accused of crime, for use in the course of their duties;

(3) persons possessing machine guns or short-barreled shotguns which, although designed as weapons, have been determined by the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or the superintendent's delegate by reason of the date of manufacture, value, design or other characteristics to be primarily collector's items, relics, museum pieces or objects of curiosity, ornaments or keepsakes, and are not likely to be used as weapons;

(4) manufacturers of ammunition who possess and use machine guns for the sole purpose of testing ammunition manufactured for sale to federal and state agencies or political subdivisions;

(5) dealers and manufacturers who are federally licensed to buy and sell, or manufacture machine guns or short-barreled shotguns and who either use the machine guns or short-barreled shotguns in peace officer training under courses approved by the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, or are engaged in the sale of machine guns or short-barreled shotguns to federal and state agencies or political subdivisions; and

(6) persons employed by the Minnesota National Guard as security guards, for use in accordance with applicable federal military regulations.

Subd. 4.Report required.

(a) A person owning or possessing a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun as authorized by subdivision 3, clause (1), (2), (3), or (4) shall, within ten days after acquiring such ownership or possession, file a written report with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, showing the person's name and address; the person's official title and position, if any; a description of the machine gun or short-barreled shotgun sufficient to enable identification thereof; the purpose for which it is owned or possessed; and such further information as the bureau may reasonably require.

(b) A dealer or manufacturer owning or having a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun as authorized by subdivision 3, clause (5) shall, by the tenth day of each month, file a written report with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showing the name and address of the dealer or manufacturer and the serial number of each machine gun or short-barreled shotgun acquired or manufactured during the previous month.

Subd. 5.Exceptions.

This section does not apply to members of the armed services of either the United States or the state of Minnesota for use in the course of their duties or to security guards employed by the Minnesota National Guard for use in accordance with applicable federal military regulations.

Subd. 6.Preemption.

Laws 1977, chapter 255, supersedes all local ordinances, rules, and regulations.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 31 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1968–2025 · leading case: Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015).

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Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015). · cites it 2× “It argued that three of Johnson’s previous offenses—including un lawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, see Minn. Stat. §609.67 (2006)—qualified as violent felonies.”

State v. Ellenberger, 543 N.W.2d 673 (Minn. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 30× “In his motion for dismissal, Dale Ellenberger successfully challenged the application of the short-barreled shotgun definition under Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 1(c), to the modified shotgun in his possession.”

State of Minnesota v. Tommy Salyers, III, 858 N.W.2d 156 (Minn. 2015). · cites it 4× “667(3) (2014); and in possession of a short-barreled shotgun, in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 2 (2014). The conviction stemmed from law enforcement’s discovery of a locked gun safe in Salyers’ home containing three firearms.”

Commonwealth v. Spotz, M., Aplt., 171 A.3d 675 (Pa. 2017). “Federal law for unlawful acts with firearms forbids certain individuals, including convicted felons, "to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been…”

Gerdes v. State, 319 N.W.2d 710 (Minn. 1982). · cites it 6× “The appellant, Mark Gerdes, was found guilty by a jury of possession of a short-barreled shotgun, in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 2 (1980). 1 For this conviction the trial judge sentenced appellant to a 5-year prison term, with execution of sentence stayed provided…”

State v. Behl, 564 N.W.2d 560 (Minn. 1997). · cites it 4× “205, possession or operation of a short-barrelled shotgun in violation of section 609.67, subdivision 2, and theft of a motor vehicle in violation of section 609.”

State v. Anderson, 666 N.W.2d 696 (Minn. 2003). · cites it 4× “See Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 1(c) (2002). Furthermore, this appellant had already been adjudicated a delinquent of riot in the second degree, which is a crime of violence under Minn.”

Jay Isaac Hollis v. Loretta Lynch, 827 F.3d 436 (5th Cir. 2016). “140, § 131 ; Minn. Stat. § 609.67 ; N.J. Stat. § 2C:39; N.”

Haynes v. United States, 390 U.S. 85 (1968). · cites it 2× “§ 40:1752 (1950); Minn. Stat. § 609.67 (1965); N. J. Rev. Stat.”

Johnson v. State, 421 N.W.2d 327 (Minn. Ct. App. 1988). · cites it 6× “221 (1984) and illegal possession of a short-barreled shotgun under Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 2 (1984). On appeal, Johnson claims the trial court erred in its in *329 structions to the jury, the evidence was insufficient to sustain the shotgun possession conviction, and that…”

In Re the Welfare of D.A.G., 484 N.W.2d 787 (Minn. 1992). · cites it 2× “was charged, by way of delinquency petition, with violating Minn.Stat. § 609.67, subd. 2 (possession of a short-barreled shotgun) and Minn.”

State v. Heinonen, 909 N.W.2d 584 (Minn. 2018). · cites it 2× “See Minn. Stat. § 609.67 , subd. 2 (2016) ; § 624.”

Show all 31 citing cases →

— Minn. Stat. § 609.67(2006) — 1 case

Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015). “It argued that three of Johnson’s previous offenses—including un lawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, see Minn. Stat. §609.67 (2006)—qualified as violent felonies.”

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