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Subdivision 1.Restrictions.
A person may not transport a firearm in a motor vehicle unless the firearm is:
(1) unloaded and in a gun case expressly made to contain a firearm, and the case fully encloses the firearm by being zipped, snapped, buckled, tied, or otherwise fastened, and without any portion of the firearm exposed;
(2) unloaded and in the closed trunk of a motor vehicle; or
(3) a handgun carried in compliance with sections 624.714 and 624.715.
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Subd. 2.Exception; disabled persons.
The restrictions in subdivision 1 do not apply to a disabled person if:
(1) the person possesses a permit under section 97B.055, subdivision 3; and
(2) the firearm is not loaded in the chamber until the vehicle is stationary, or is a hinge action firearm with the action open until the vehicle is stationary.
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Subd. 3.Exceptions; hunting and shooting ranges.
(a) Notwithstanding provisions to the contrary under this chapter, a person may transport an unloaded, uncased firearm, excluding a pistol as defined in paragraph (b), in a motor vehicle while at a shooting range, as defined under section 87A.01, subdivision 3, where the person has received permission from the lawful owner or possessor to discharge firearms; lawfully hunting on private or public land; or traveling to or from a site the person intends to hunt lawfully that day or has hunted lawfully that day, unless:
(1) within Anoka, Hennepin, or Ramsey County;
(2) within the boundaries of a home rule charter or statutory city with a population of 2,500 or more;
(3) on school grounds; or
(4) otherwise restricted under section 97A.091, 97B.081, or 97B.086.
(b) For the purposes of this section, a "pistol" includes a weapon designed to be fired by the use of a single hand and with an overall length less than 26 inches, or having a barrel or barrels of a length less than 18 inches in the case of a shotgun or having a barrel of a length less than 16 inches in the case of a rifle:
(1) from which may be fired or ejected one or more solid projectiles by means of a cartridge or shell or by the action of an explosive or the igniting of flammable or explosive substances; or
(2) for which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, air or other gas, or vapor.
Pistol does not include a device firing or ejecting a shot measuring .18 of an inch, or less, in diameter and commonly known as a "BB gun," a scuba gun, a stud gun or nail gun used in the construction industry, or children's pop guns or toys.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
9
cases (
2 in the last 5 years), 1988–2025 · leading case:
State v. Sorenson, 441 N.W.2d 455 (Minn. 1989).
State v. Sorenson, 441 N.W.2d 455 (Minn. 1989).
· cites it 8× “Sorenson, appeals his conviction by the Kittson County District Court for transporting a loaded, uncased firearm in a motor vehicle in violation of Minn.Stat. § 97B.045(1) (1988). The court of appeals affirmed the conviction.”
State v. Flowers, 734 N.W.2d 239 (Minn. 2007).
· cites it 4× “The majority also incorrectly assumes that the only violation of law about which the police were concerned was Flowers' driving without a light over his license plate.”
State v. Smith, 814 N.W.2d 346 (Minn. 2012).
· cites it 2× “la (2010), and misdemeanor illegal transportation of a firearm, Minn.Stat. § 97B.045, subd. 1 (2010). Smith subsequently brought a motion at a contested omnibus hearing challenging the admission of the pistol.”
State v. Butcher, 563 N.W.2d 776 (Minn. Ct. App. 1997).
· cites it 2× “1(4), and Minn.Stat. § 97B.045, subd. 1(1) (1996). The charges stemmed from an incident occurring on October 24, 1994, on land ceded to the United States government by the White Earth Band in 1889.”
State v. Kier, 678 N.W.2d 672 (Minn. Ct. App. 2004).
· cites it 2× “2 (2002), transportation of firearms under Minn.Stat. §§ 97B.045 (2002), and driving after cancellation under Minn.”
State v. Sorenson, 430 N.W.2d 231 (Minn. Ct. App. 1988).
· cites it 8× “Sorenson appeals from a conviction for transporting a loaded, uncased firearm in a motor vehicle, in violation of Minn.Stat. § 97B.045(1) (1986). Appellant contends a conservation officer's search of his private property was unconstitutional, and that the fruits of this search…”
Radfan Saleh Awad v. Alberto Gonzales, 494 F.3d 723 (8th Cir. 2007).
“Minn.Stat. § 97B.045, entitled “Transportation of Firearms,” states: "A person may not transport a firearm in a motor vehicle unless the firearm is: (1) unloaded and in a gun case expressly made to contain a firearm, and the case fully encloses the firearm by being zipped,…”
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Kyaw Be Bee, Appellant (Minn. 2025).
· cites it 6× “Minn. Stat. § 97B.045 (2024). If “public place” does not include the interior of a motor vehicle on a public roadway, then there would be no reason to specifically exempt certain instances in which a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun would be found in a motor vehicle on a public road.”
— Minn. Stat. § 97B.045(1) — 2 cases
State v. Sorenson, 441 N.W.2d 455 (Minn. 1989).
“Sorenson, appeals his conviction by the Kittson County District Court for transporting a loaded, uncased firearm in a motor vehicle in violation of Minn.Stat. § 97B.045(1) (1988). The court of appeals affirmed the conviction.”
State v. Sorenson, 430 N.W.2d 231 (Minn. Ct. App. 1988).
“Sorenson appeals from a conviction for transporting a loaded, uncased firearm in a motor vehicle, in violation of Minn.Stat. § 97B.045(1) (1986). Appellant contends a conservation officer's search of his private property was unconstitutional, and that the fruits of this search…”
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