What’s The Legal Age For A Child To Use A BB Gun In Minnesota?

We were at the cabin this Labor Day Weekend when my daughter came up to me asking if she could get a BB gun to shoot around at the cabin. She's turning 10 soon, and I realized I was about her age when I got my first BB gun.

That's when I remembered that it was still inside the cabin, hanging up on the wall along with the pellets. So I took the gun, fixed up a missing bolt, and let her shoot with it the rest of the weekend under my supervision.

That got me thinking, At what age can you legally use a BB gun in Minnesota? Do you have to be an adult to buy one?

Different laws for possessing, purchasing, or gifting a BB gun to a child.

If it's your child, they can operate the air gun under your supervision at any age. According to Airgunlaws.com, there are also different laws depending on whether you are in an urban area or a nonurban area.

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A person may not furnish a minor under the age of 14 an air gun without the parent or guardian's consent.

Let's say you are out in the country and you give your niece or nephew a BB gun to shoot. If they are 14 or older, no laws are broken. If they are under 14, you're supposed to ask their parents first. Also, if the child is under 14, they are only allowed to operate the airgun if the guardian is present.

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There are different laws for urban areas.

If you're in the city, Minnesota law prohibits you from giving a kid an airgun under the age of 18 without prior consent from their legal guardian.

In any case, you need to be 18 to purchase an airgun or ammunition.

Even though airguns are non-lethal, they are still treated very similarly to firearms. It's illegal to bring them to school, make terroristic threats, and shoot others. Fines can get pretty hefty.