Minnesota Firearm News

Democrat U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim have once again revived the so-called Federal Firearm Licensing Act, a sweeping proposal that would fundamentally transform gun ownership in the United States by requiring Americans to obtain a federal license before they could legally purchase, possess, or receive a firearm. While marketed as a “commonsense” public safety measure, the legislation represents one of the most aggressive attempts yet to federalize gun ownership.

The final month of 2025 closed with Americans continuing to purchase firearms at historically strong levels. While total FBI background checks declined year-over-year, adjusted data show nearly 1.6 million estimated retail gun sales in December alone—once again clearing the seven-figure mark. For all of 2025, lawful firearm purchases exceeded 14.6 million, placing the year among the strongest for gun ownership outside of the pandemic surge.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence in the United States has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels. New data show that shootings declined sharply in 2025, with overall incidents dropping 14 percent and mass shootings falling to a nearly two-decade low. Forty-one states saw reductions in gun deaths, and non-fatal shooting injuries reached their lowest level in more than a decade. These trends challenge long-standing narratives that expanded gun ownership.

As the NFA tax on suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs drops to $0 on January 1, gun owners are celebrating the first meaningful relief from nearly a century of federal taxation. But the victory comes with a catch: the National Firearms Act itself remains fully intact. By leaving the underlying law in place, Congress has created a roadmap for future administrations to simply raise the tax again—potentially pricing everyday Americans out of commonly owned firearms and accessories

President Trump’s December 18, 2025 executive order on marijuana has sparked widespread discussion, but for gun owners it offers little immediate relief. While the order accelerates the review process for potential reclassification, it does not change marijuana’s legal status or alter federal firearms prohibitions. Under current law, marijuana users—whether medicinal or recreational—remain classified as prohibited persons, leaving any meaningful change to gun rights likely de

As 2025 comes to a close, the fight to restore Second Amendment rights has delivered both major victories and frustrating contradictions. While gun rights groups secured important court wins at the federal and state levels, the Supreme Court continues to delay meaningful engagement with post-Bruen cases. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has taken an aggressive stance against state and territorial gun control through the DOJ’s new Second Amendment Civil Rights Division—whil