Minnesota Moves to Extend Gun Grabs to Five Years

Minnesota lawmakers want to supercharge the state's red flag law: extending firearm confiscation orders to five years and letting any badge-carrying officer file a petition on the spot, no chief required.

The 2023 law, rammed through when Democrats held total Capitol control, already lets judges strip law-abiding Minnesotans of their firearms with no criminal conviction. Now legislators want it faster, broader, and longer-lasting.

The NRA isn't buying the rebranding. In a letter delivered directly to a Senate committee, the nation's oldest civil rights organization called the proposal exactly what it is: a gun confiscation scheme that tramples due process. They're right.

Under the proposed changes, judges could issue extreme risk protection orders lasting up to five years. Emergency orders could be issued after business hours and on weekends. And the current requirement that police reimburse gun owners fair market value for seized firearms? Gone.

That last piece tells you everything. Lawmakers want to remove the financial sting of confiscating innocent people's property — remove the cost, remove the accountability.

Proponents cite raw petition numbers as proof of success — 138 orders in 2024, 314 in 2025. But volume isn't justice. Judges granted requests in 96% of cases, which means these hearings aren't rigorous scrutiny — they're a formality with a predetermined outcome.

Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, called it legislation that "saved many lives." He offered zero evidence. What the data actually shows: police file the overwhelming majority of petitions, making this largely a law enforcement tool deployed against citizens charged with no crime.

The bill already cleared committee in the tied Minnesota House — meaning at least some Republicans crossed the aisle. Gun owners in those districts need to remember that betrayal at the ballot box.

No conviction. No crime. No due process. Just a judge, a petition, and your guns disappearing for up to five years.

Minnesota gun owners need to contact their state legislators today and make clear that expanding unconstitutional confiscation orders is a career-ending vote. Find your rep at leg.mn.gov and make the call.