A huge win for Americans who believe in their constitutional right to bear arms prevailed Friday in Minnesota, when a federal judge ruled that Minnesota’s carry permit to restrict age is unconstitutional.
Judge Katherine Menendez from the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota wrote in the ruling,
“The court declares that Minn. Stat. §624.714, sub. 2(b)(2)’s requirement that a person must be at least 21 years of age to receive a permit to publicly carry a handgun in Minnesota violates the rights of individuals 18–20 years old to keep and bear arms protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.”
In 2003 Minnesota added an age restriction for the carry permit requiring applicants to be “at least 21 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States.”
The 20-year law was challenged when three Minnesota residents aged 18 to 20 sued John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety John Harrington, and three sheriffs. The trio asked the judge to remove the age restriction. They were joined by pro-2A groups in pursuing a revision of the unconstitutional law.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus was joined in the lawsuit by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and the three individual plaintiffs.

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is joined in this lawsuit by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and three individual plaintiffs.

— MN Gun Owners Caucus (@mnguncaucus) March 31, 2023

 

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus proclaimed their victory following the ruling; Caucus Chair Bryan Strawser called it a resounding victory against unconstitutional overreach,
“This is a resounding victory for 18-20-year-old adults who wish to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms.”
The plaintiff’s argument centered around the violation of the second amendment caused by the age restriction. They noted that 18-20-year-olds were allowed to carry guns when the country was founded, and the Constitution was written.
In addition, their case was supported by a recent Supreme Court ruling. Last June, the Court ruled for the first time, in a New York case (New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen), that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right to carry a handgun publicly for self-defense. The US Supreme Court also ruled that no limits could be placed on hun rights that did not adhere to the country’s historical tradition of gun regulation.
Judge Menendez cited the Supreme Court case in her ruling, concluding that there were no historical laws comparable to Minnesota’s, which required her to strike the law down.