"Carry permit" or "permit to purchase" doesn't work in MN as a bypass to NICS?
Don't think so. Last time, my carry permit was expired so I got a permit to purchase from the sheriff's office. That bypasses the Brady waiting period; you do the wait up-front. That was the purchase where I was delayed the maximum 3 days.
Basically they didn't release the hold and it expired. This was even after putting my SSN on the form.
I can't remember if they did the NICS check when I had a valid carry permit, but I think so.