Case Explained: The Invisible Line of HF 3351 Turns Law-Abiding into Criminals – Legal Perspective

Tomorrow, February 25, the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee is scheduled to hear a detrimental bill to sportsmen and firearm owners that repeals the state’s long-standing law preventing a patchwork of firearm laws from being enacted by localities throughout the state.

Make no mistake: HF 3351 is not a public safety measure. It is a calculated political attack on the heritage of law-abiding Minnesotans. Instead of targeting criminal misuse, this bill targets the very tools used by hunters and firearm owners by trapping them in a web of confusing, localized regulations.

Use the Take Action button below to contact the committee to oppose HF 3351. Law-abiding citizens should not have to worry about becoming criminals by crossing an invisible city or locality line.

Why HF 3351 is a Threat to Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage

• The “Traveler’s Trap”: Under HF 3351, a hunter traveling from the home to northern Minnesota could pass through dozens of municipalities, each with its own conflicting rules on how a firearm must be encased, what ammunition is legal, and where a permit-to-carry is recognized. No sportsman or firearm owner can reasonably stay compliant with a hundred different sets of local laws during a single afternoon drive.
• Undermining the Permit to Carry: This bill allows local governments to supersede state standards for the Permit to Carry. If a city decides to ban carry in all public parks or on all municipal roads, your state-issued permit becomes effectively worthless the moment you cross city lines.
• Attack on Local Gun Clubs: By granting municipalities broad zoning and regulatory power, anti-hunting local councils could use noise ordinances or “safety” discharge rules to zone out shooting ranges and hunt clubs that have operated safely for generations.
• Ammunition Bans and De Facto Hunting Bans: HF 3351 repeals the state’s exclusive authority over ammunition, opening the door for local bans on traditional lead shot or specific calibers, including allows anti-hunting municipalities to bypass state DNR seasons by enacting “de facto” hunting bans, making it a crime to possess the very ammunition required by law to harvest game in that jurisdiction.

Hearing Details and How to Watch

This hearing is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. in the Capitol room G23. If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch it online.

Protect Our Uniform Standards of Law

Our outdoor heritage depends on a single, fair standard of law. The Sportsmen’s Alliance stands firm: your constitutional rights should not expire the moment you cross an invisible township line. HF 3351 threatens the very consistency that keeps law-abiding Minnesotans safe from accidental criminalization. Please share this alert with your fellow hunters and firearm owners immediately. We must speak with one voice to ensure that justice remains uniform across the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.