Firearm forfeiture data is collected each year from law enforcement agencies across the state by the Minnesota State Auditor s Office. Agencies complete monthly reporting forms, recording details about each firearm forfeited. Specific information documented includes county of forfeiture, firearm characteristics, reason for forfeiture and final disposition. The Criminal Justice Center at Minnesota Planning was mandated by the 1994 Legislature to conduct a yearly analysis of the auditor s forfeiture data and publish a report detailing the results. Records have been sorted by data entry number in descending order.
All data is numeric and pertains only to firearms that have been forfeited.
Guns that are seized and subsequently returned to their owners are not considered forfeited and therefore are not included in the data file. Data for 1995 also is available by contacting the Criminal Justice Center . Questions or concerns about the 1996 or 1997 data files should be directed to the Criminal Justice Center . The mechanism by which a round of ammunition is loaded into the firing chamber of a gun. Also known as a machine gun, an automatic is illegal to own unless it was manufactured before 1986.