Is it legal to bring a loaded firearm with multiple magazines to a protest in Minnesota
Executive summary
Minnesota law permits a person with a state permit to carry a handgun in public, concealed or openly, and there is no state statute that bars carrying a firearm at a demonstration; therefore, under state law it is not per se illegal to bring a loaded handgun with extra magazines to a protest in Minnesota federal-officials/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[1] [2] [3]. Federal officials and DHS have asserted that it is unlawful to bring guns to protests, and federal charges can still arise from conduct that impedes or assaults federal agents — a separate legal axis that can expose an armed protester to federal prosecution even if state law allows carrying [4] [5].
1. Minnesota’s permit-to-carry framework: what the state allows
Minnesota’s Personal Protection Act requires a permit to carry a handgun in public but does not require concealment and does not contain a specific prohibition on possessing firearms at demonstrations; multiple outlets report that “there is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota” [1] [2] [6]. Fact-checking organizations and national press have echoed that Minnesota’s concealed-carry statute “does not include such a ban,” noting the state is not among the dozen-plus that expressly bar guns at protests [2] [3] [7].
2. The federal counterargument: DHS and administration officials’ claims
Top federal officials publicly stated that protesters should not bring loaded firearms with multiple magazines to demonstrations, with FBI Director Kash Patel saying “you cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want” — a claim widely challenged as inconsistent with Minnesota law [3] [2]. DHS spokespeople and some Border Patrol officers have argued it’s “unlawful” to bring a gun to a demonstration in contexts involving federal operations, a position reflected in departmental statements and in commentary surrounding the Minneapolis shooting [4] [8].
3. Federal statutes and conduct-based hazards: why state legality isn’t a blanket shield
Reporting shows DHS has relied on federal statutes in past operations to arrest people who were legally armed at protests when agents alleged those individuals assaulted or impeded federal officers; that means conduct around federal agents — including approaching, interfering, or allegedly threatening them — can trigger federal charges regardless of state carry rights [4]. Reuters and other outlets note the political and prosecutorial tension: federal officials frame armed protesters as hazards while gun-rights groups counter that lawful carrying is protected and should not be criminalized simply by context [5] [9].
4. How advocates, gun-rights groups, and experts frame the legal reality
Gun-rights organizations and Minnesota advocates have emphasized that attending protests does not strip away Second Amendment protections and that licensed carriers can lawfully be armed at public demonstrations; they call for investigations when federal force is used against legally armed individuals [9] [10] [6]. Civil liberties and legal scholars cited by national outlets observe that whether weapons may be present depends on state law and that Minnesota’s statutes do not ban firearms at protests — though they acknowledge states vary on this point [7] [3].
5. Practical implications and limits of the available reporting
The reporting makes two clear points: under Minnesota statute a permitted carrier may legally possess a loaded handgun with extra magazines at a protest, but federal authorities maintain operational and prosecutorial tools that can criminalize particular behaviors during federal operations [1] [4]. The sources do not provide a comprehensive legal checklist for every scenario — for instance, how municipal ordinances, private-property rules, temporary event restrictions, or specific federal operation orders might alter legality in a given moment is not fully documented in these reports, and that gap limits the ability to declare universal immunity from arrest or prosecution [2] [4].
6. Bottom line
As currently reported: state law in Minnesota does not bar a permitted carrier from bringing a loaded handgun with multiple magazines to a protest [1] [2], but doing so can create significant risk if a person’s conduct intersects with federal operations or if other legal constraints (private property, event restrictions, or criminal acts) come into play — matters on which DHS and federal officials assert authority and which have been the basis for federal arrests in past incidents [4] [5].