MN Ban on Young Adults Carrying Handguns in Public Ruled Unconstitutional

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he’s “extremely disappointed” that a federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that Minnesota’s ban on 18- to 20-year-olds carrying handguns in public is unconstitutional.

Ellison calls it “reasonable safety legislation,” noting “Just days ago, a 20-year-old tried to take the life of the former President of the United States.”

Rob Doar with the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus calls that statement “a ridiculous appeal to emotion” saying, “The individual who carried out that attack stole his father’s firearm. There’s no indication of whether or not he had a permit to carry, but it’s a little bit ridiculous to believe that a permit to carry would have weighed into his calculus about the attack at all.”

Doar says permit-to-carry holders in Minnesota are eight to 10 times more law-abiding than the general public, and 18-to-20-year-olds would have to go through the same training and background checks as everyone else.

A-G Ellison says the law in question remains in effect until the appeals process is concluded and his office is weighing its options.