(LibertySons.org) – Minnesota lawmakers passed a law in 2003 that prohibited anyone under 21 from applying for a handgun permit. Federal law only requires people to be 18 years old. An appeals court has now ruled the law is unconstitutional.
On July 16, the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit affirmed a decision by a lower court that determined the 21-year-old Minnesota law violated the Second Amendment. The court concluded the state had “not met its burden” to prove individuals ages 18 to 20 years old should not be allowed to “carry handguns in public for self-defense.”
The appeals court cited the US Supreme Court’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen decision. The decision expanded gun rights across the country. It also created a new test for courts to use to determine whether a law runs afoul of the precedent. The courts are now required to ask whether a restriction is consistent with America’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
In March 2023, US District Judge Katherine Menendez struck down the Minnesota law. She also granted an emergency motion to stay her ruling until the appeals court could hear the state’s appeal. The state argued adults under the age of 21 shouldn’t be allowed to carry handguns because they aren’t capable of making responsible decisions about firearms. As a result, the state argued they were a risk to themselves and others.
The 8th Circuit stated the Second Amendment doesn’t set an age limit. Therefore, young, law-abiding adults are protected. Also, the court determined crime statistics don’t support the conclusion that they present a higher risk of danger.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he was “extremely disappointed” by the ruling. He said America’s “epidemic of gun violence [would] continue unabated unless” officials do something to stop it. He also acknowledged that the Bruen ruling made it more difficult to do anything because Second Amendment organizations filed multiple lawsuits to strike down gun control measures.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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