(ABC 6 News) — A number of new laws went into effect in Minnesota on Thursday, and one of them is a new gun law.

The change increases the punishment for straw purchases.

Law enforcement, lawmakers, and Governor Tim Walz stood together on Thursday to highlight the new law that they believe will make Minnesota safer.

Back in February, three first responders in Burnsville were killed, making it one of the highest profile cases involving a straw purchase.

The suspect in that case couldn’t legally own guns, and investigators found his girlfriend bought them for him. That will now be a felony in Minnesota based on this new law, punishable by up to two years in prison.

The new law also amends the crime to include any type of gun, not just pistols or semiautomatic weapons. It also makes those cases easier to prosecute by closing previous loopholes.

“This does not infringe upon anything, that was done here, on a lawful gunowner,” said Governor Walz. “If you’re not purchasing a weapon and handing it to someone who is a felon and prohibited from that, nothing in your life changed around firearms.”