Visitor carrying of firearms on campuses of public postsecondary institutions regulated.
Summary
HF4362 amends Minnesota’s firearms law to expressly allow public postsecondary institutions to adopt policies restricting visitors from carrying or possessing firearms on campus property. If a visitor violates a campus policy, the institution may order the person to leave; refusal to leave becomes a petty misdemeanor, with a first-offense fine capped at $25. The bill also clarifies that a firearm carried in violation of this subdivision is not subject to forfeiture.
The bill preserves existing authority for employers to restrict employee firearm possession during the course and scope of employment and for public colleges and universities to restrict student firearm possession on campus. It also maintains the current rule that employers and postsecondary institutions may not prohibit lawful firearm carry or possession in parking facilities or parking areas. In effect, the measure narrows and clarifies how public campuses may regulate visitors with firearms while leaving parking-lot carry protections intact.
Impact
The bill would amend Minnesota Statutes section 624.714, subdivision 18, by adding explicit authority for public postsecondary institutions regulated under chapters 136F and 137 to regulate visitor firearm carry on campus. It creates a new enforcement mechanism for noncompliance—removal from the premises and a petty misdemeanor for refusing to leave—and limits the first-offense fine to $25. The bill does not change the existing prohibition on restricting lawful firearm possession in parking areas, and it removes any ambiguity about forfeiture by stating that firearms carried in violation of the subdivision are not subject to forfeiture.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and campus-management bill rather than a broad gun-control proposal. The language is straightforward and administrative, suggesting an intent to clarify institutional authority over visitors on campus. Because there is no transcript or vote history provided, there is no documented public sentiment in the record beyond the bill’s stated purpose.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the balance between campus safety and firearm rights. Supporters would likely emphasize giving public colleges and universities clear authority to keep visitors with firearms off campus property and to enforce that policy with limited penalties. Opponents would likely focus on the restriction of lawful carry on public campus grounds, the criminal penalty for refusing to leave, and the fact that the bill still preserves carry rights in parking facilities, which may be seen as an incomplete or inconsistent approach. No specific stakeholder positions are provided in the available record.
(New Title) prohibiting public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of certain weapons on campus and establishing a committee to study the feasibility of allowing guns on campuses of public institutions of higher education.