Minnesota Firearm News

West Virginia’s SB 1071, which cleared the Judiciary Committee, has stalled before reaching the Finance Committee, raising concerns among supporters that the bill may be sidelined without a recorded vote. Advocates are urging Senate leadership to bring the measure to the floor, arguing that lawmakers should publicly vote on the proposal rather than allow it to fade through procedural delay.

A new federal lawsuit, Roberts v. ATF, argues that the National Firearms Act’s registration requirements for suppressors and short-barreled firearms cannot stand now that the $200 excise tax has been eliminated. Plaintiffs contend the NFA was upheld as a tax measure in Sonzinsky v. United States, and without that revenue basis, the remaining registration regime lacks constitutional justification — potentially setting up a major test of federal firearms regulation.

Kentucky’s HB 749 would establish a state-run Office of Public Defense to facilitate lawful machine gun transfers under an existing federal exemption allowing transfers “to or by” a state. Supporters say the bill challenges the long-standing NFA framework while using language already embedded in federal law, potentially setting up a significant test case in the evolving Second Amendment landscape.

Alabama lawmakers are advancing HB 360, a proposal that would create an annual “Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday” exempting firearms, ammunition, and accessories from state sales tax during the last weekend of August. Supporters say the measure would reduce financial barriers for lawful gun owners and could serve as a model for other states considering how to approach Second Amendment policy.

Connecticut’s HB5043 would classify common semi-automatic handguns as illegal “convertible pistols,” targeting firearms based on theoretical modification rather than unlawful conduct. Modeled after California’s new law, the proposal raises significant constitutional questions under Heller and signals a broader shift toward banning firearms based on potential misuse.

A cybersecurity breach tied to Canada’s Canadian Firearms Program may have impacted an estimated 2.2 million individuals, exposing the risks of centralized firearm ownership databases. The incident, reportedly linked to a third-party contractor, underscores growing concerns about gun owner privacy and data security—not just in Canada, but anywhere governments collect and store sensitive firearms records.