IIRC it is legal for a minor to possess a firearm if they are with a parent.

I think what you described might actually be legal, as long a the minor is in the presence of a parent. Of course legal does not always equal sensible. I certainly don't advocate minors carrying in public, even with parents present.

I'd have to look up the statute on this one.

97B.021 POSSESSION OF FIREARMS BY PERSONS UNDER AGE 16.
Subdivision 1. Restrictions. (a) Except as provided in this subdivision, a person under the
age of 16 may not possess a firearm, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
(b) A person under age 16 may possess a firearm without being accompanied by a parent or
guardian:
(1) on land owned by, or occupied as the principal residence of, the person or the person's
parent or guardian;
(2) while participating in an organized target shooting program with adult supervision;
(3) while the person is participating in a firearms safety program or traveling to and from
class; or
(4) if the person is age 14 or 15 and has a firearms safety certificate.
Subd. 1a. Parent or guardian duties. A parent or guardian may not knowingly direct, allow,
or permit a person under the age of 16 to possess a firearm in violation of this section.
Subd. 2. Seizure of unlawfully possessed firearms. A law enforcement officer shall seize a
firearm used in violation of this section. The officer must tag the seized firearm with the name and
address of the person from whom it was taken and give the person a receipt. The firearm shall be
placed in the custody of the conservation officer in charge of the area where the seizure was made.
Subd. 3. Return or forfeiture of seized firearms. A firearm seized under this section must
be returned to the person from whom it was seized when the person presents a firearms safety
certificate to the conservation officer. The person must present the certificate within 90 days after
the beginning of the first firearms training course in the county after the firearm was seized. If the
person does not present a certificate, the firearm is contraband and forfeited to the state, and shall
be disposed of as prescribed by the commissioner.
History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 5; 1996 c 410 s 38; 2006 c 281 art 2 s 35

624.713 CERTAIN PERSONS NOT TO POSSESS FIREARMS.
Subdivision 1. Ineligible persons. The following persons shall not be entitled to possess a
pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon or, except for clause (a), any other firearm:
(a) a person under the age of 18 years except that a person under 18 may carry or possess
a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon (i) in the actual presence or under the
direct supervision of the person's parent or guardian, (ii) for the purpose of military drill under
the auspices of a legally recognized military organization and under competent supervision,
(iii) for the purpose of instruction, competition, or target practice on a firing range approved
by the chief of police or county sheriff in whose jurisdiction the range is located and under
direct supervision; or (iv) if the person has successfully completed a course designed to teach
marksmanship and safety with a pistol or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon and
approved by the commissioner of natural resources;

Subd. 1a. Permit required; penalty. A person, other than a peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, who carries, holds, or possesses a pistol in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, or boat, or on or about the person's clothes or the person, or otherwise in possession or control in a public place, as defined in section 624.7181, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), without first having obtained a permit to carry the pistol is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. A person who is convicted a second or subsequent time is guilty of a felony.

Subd. 2. Where application made; authority to issue permit; criteria; scope.
(a) Applications by Minnesota residents for permits to carry shall be made to the county sheriff where the applicant resides. Nonresidents, as defined in section 171.01, subdivision 42, may apply to any sheriff.
(b) Unless a sheriff denies a permit under the exception set forth in subdivision 6, paragraph (a), clause (3), a sheriff must issue a permit to an applicant if the person:
(1) has training in the safe use of a pistol;
(2) is at least 21 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States;
(3) completes an application for a permit;
(4) is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under the following sections

Thanks for the clarification. I thought the law for minors was a bit permissive.

-Mark

Imagine if they stopped somewhere on the way to the range?