Penalty for transferring a firearm to an unauthorized person increased, mandatory minimum sentence for certain transfers of a firearm to an ineligible person established, and affirmative defense removed.

HF 3498 increases penalties for transferring firearms to people legally prohibited from owning them, such as those denied permits or disqualified under Minnesota law. It raises the maximum prison term for standard transfers from two to three years and the fine to $10,000, while establishing a mandatory minimum three-year prison sentence (or the standard sentencing guideline term, whichever is longer) for transfers where the firearm is later used in a violent crime within one year. The bill also removes a previous defense allowing defendants to claim they were forced by a family member to transfer the firearm. This change directly affects individuals who transfer guns to ineligible persons, eliminating a legal option for those claiming coercion in domestic situations.