Under Minnesota law, you must obtain a permit to carry a handgun in public. The law does not require that you conceal the weapon. If you have a Permit to Carry you don’t need to obtain a Permit to Purchase to obtain a firearm. To obtain a Permit to Carry fill out a Permit to Carry Application and submit it to the sheriff’s office in the county where you live. 

Once received, the office has 30 days to process the application. A Permit to Carry is valid for five years and is renewable. 

If you live outside of Minnesota, you can submit a Permit to Carry application to any Minnesota sheriff’s office.

Training Requirements

When applying for a Permit to Carry, Minnesota firearms law requires you to provide evidence of having received training in the safe use of a handgun from a certified instructor within one year of the original application or renewal. 

View a list of businesses with instructors who are certified to provide this training.

The Adult-Use Cannabis Act 

The Adult-Use Cannabis Act prohibits a sheriff from denying an application for a permit to carry solely because the applicant is a patient enrolled in the medical cannabis registry program or because the person is 21 years of age or older and uses adult-use cannabis flower, adult-use cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, or hemp-derived consumer products.  However, use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in Minnesota. Guidance from the ATF indicates that an individual who is a current user of marijuana is still federally defined as an “unlawful user” of a controlled substance and is prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recognizes this conflict in the law.

State Reciprocity

Minnesota recognizes firearms carry permits from certain other states with similar standards. This is known as permit to carry reciprocity. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety annually reviews firearms laws from other states to determine which states currently meet that standard.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Review frequently asked questions about Minnesota's Permit to Carry.

For additional information pertaining to handgun requirements, refer to state laws listed at the bottom of this page.