Staff photo by Fritz Busch Apex Custom Rifles, LLC owner Brett Meyer of New Ulm threads a gun barrel on a metal lathe in his shop. Meyer specializes in building custom rifles.

NEW ULM — Firearms permit applications across the state jumped earlier this year and have been climbing for the past 30 months, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

R & R Bait & Tackle owner Francis Rieger of New Ulm, who also sells guns, ammunition and hunting supplies, said he’s encountered a number of customers who are buying guns out of fear.

“People are scared right now. Lots of gun owners have them next to their bed,” said Rieger. “Last week a guy told me somebody broke into his house and stole his wife’s jewelry, so he wanted a gun. Most people want a gun permit so they can have one in the house. I don’t think lots of people around here want to carry weapons. Most people buy pistols because they’re easier to handle.”

“People are selling jewelry for gold,” said Rieger.

Apex Customs Rifles Inc. owner Brett Meyer of New Ulm said he specializes in building rifles for hunting and target shooting. He also is a federally licensed firearms (FFL) dealer who completes firearms transaction record (background paperwork for gun purchases and transfers).

“People can buy guns online from an FFL dealer, ship them to me. I do the FBI background check paperwork. If the transaction passes the background check, buyers can get the gun from me,” he said. “I get busier and busier each year. Last year was busier than previous years. This year is on track to be busier than last year. I see quite a few pistols and rifles.”

Meyer said a lot of Minnesota gun buyers get a permit to carry because it lasts five years while permits to purchase a gun are good for just one year. He said he knows a lot of people who got the permit to carry but don’t carry guns.

He said the BCA 2025 Permit to Carry Report showed a big spike in 2021 with 106,488 permits issued and 96,554 permits issued in 2020 compared to 65,257 permits issued in 2022.

“I feel that was due to the Twin City riots that got people scared and antsy,” said Meyer. “I used to live in the Twin Cities. A lot of people I knew said they got guns for their own safety.”

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) reports the number of gun permit applications rose nearly 75% across the state from January 2025 to January 2026.

There were 4,734 gun permit applications in January 2025 and 8,240 in January 2026, according to the BCA.

There were 65,961 firearms permits issued in 2025, compared to 57,248 in 2024.

Brown County Sheriff Jason Seidl said the sheriff’s office has seen more gun permit applications the first six months of 2026 than it has over a six-month period in recent years.

“It’s up a bit this year, more so than in recent years. We’ve seen 292 applications in the first six months of 2026,” said Seidl. “There were 379 gun permit applications in all of 2025 and 241 in all of 2024.”

Eight gun permit applications were denied in Brown County last year. Two applications were denied because applicants were convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year of imprisonment.

Other denials were due to applicants being an unlawful user of any controlled substance, having a court order restraining them from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner, child of an intimate partner or their own child.

Other reasons for denied included a likelihood that the applicant is a danger to themselves or the public, has charges pending for a crime punishable of more than one year imprisonment or has a conviction of gross misdemeanor neglect or endangerment of a child.

Three Brown County gun permits were voided last year due to an order for protection issued after a hearing. One permit was voided for a misdemeanor crime of violence conviction.

Nicollet County received 434 gun permit applications in 2025 with one denial. Applications made in other counties were 629 with five denials in McLeod County, 255 with four denials in Redwood County, 235 with one denial in Renville County, 312 with 34 denials in Sibley County, 197 in Watonwan County with no denials, 383 and one denial in Martin County, 314 with two denials in Lyon County.

Minnesota sheriffs reported individuals with gun permits committed 5,647 crimes in 2025, according to the BCA. That is the highest number since the state’s Personal Protection Act (permit-to-carry law) was enacted in 2003.

However, the percentage of permit holders who committed a crime (1%) was consistent with recent years.

More than 55% of crimes committed by permit holders were DWIs or other traffic offenses.

As of March 3, 2026, there were 375,551 valid gun permits in Minnesota. The BCA reported permit application spikes in January and February, 2026, during the peak of Operation Metro Surge.

The Permit to Carry Report contains data on permits to carry a firearm. Minnesota does not track permits to purchase firearms.

For more information, visit https://dps.mn.gov/.