MINNESOTA FIREARMS RECIPROCITY

May 6, 2019

CCW reciprocity is an interstate agreement between permit-issuing authorities allowing gun permit holders from one state to travel to another state with comparable gun laws. Currently, there is no National policy of Reciprocity in place; it’s purely on a state-by-state basis. As such, reciprocity agreements can vary from one state to another.

 

33 states are Shall-Issue states must issue a permit to those applicants that meet the requirements, but there is no need for the applicant to demonstrate “ justifiable reason to carry a gun.

 

9 states are May-Issue states require a permit to carry, which are granted at the discretion of local authorities. In this case, criteria have to be met, and the applicant typically must have “justifiable reason to carry a gun”.

 

6 states are No issue states are jurisdictions where with few exceptions; private citizens are not allowed to carry concealed handguns in public. No permits are issued or recognized.

 

12 states are Constitutional Carry states that do not require a permit to carry a concealed handgun.

 

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently issued its list of states with concealed permits that are valid in Minnesota. Every year, the Minnesota DPS conducts a comprehensive review of the permit laws of other states to determine whether they are similar to Minnesota Law and thus are not valid in Minnesota. Minnesota does not recognize handgun permits from 34 other states, including the bordering states of Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

 

States with Laws Similar to Minnesota (valid CCW permits)

  •  
  • Alaska
  • Delaware
  • Idaho (Enhanced permit only)
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Michigan
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota (Class 1 license only)
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota (Enhanced permit only)
  • West Virginia (regular only)


Nevada was withdrawn from the list this year because the minimum age for all permit applicants is no longer 21 and Minnesota law requires all applicants to be at least 21 years old.

 

West Virginia was added to the list this year because it requires a minimum age for all permit applicants of 21 and mandates training that includes live-fire shooting.

 

Those who carry a gun across the wrong state border, whether unwittingly or not, can face criminal weapons possession charges and stiff sentences.