The Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial board has a problem with a recent decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that Minnesota’s ban on lawful concealed carry for adults younger than 21 is a violation of the Second Amendment. In a recent editorial, the paper’s editors called the law an “important public safety provision that’s worth fighting to preserve,” and approvingly quoted Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s rationale in favor of the law. 

Ellison said Minnesota’s law doesn’t prevent that age group from having guns at all but that they can’t walk around with them casually.

He added that scientific research on brain development and judgment confirms why Minnesota’s restrictions should continue. There are such rules around buying cigarettes and liquor as well as driving; it’s reasonable to apply them to openly carrying deadly firearms. Ellison also pointed out that many of those involved in shootings with multiple victims are in that younger age group, including the 20-year-old who just days ago tried to take the life of Donald Trump.

Bryan Strawser, chairman of the MN Gun Owners Caucus, responded to that editorial with an op-ed of his own, and thoroughly dismantled the arguments raised by both Ellison and the editorial board. As Strawser points out, neither tobacco nor alcohol are protected under the Constitution, unlike the right to keep and bear arms. And while Ellison says that “many” shootings are committed by adults younger than 21, Strawser notes that young adults are still treated as, well, adults, in almost every aspect of the law. 

Equal treatment under the law

Eighteen-year-olds are granted numerous adult responsibilities and rights, from voting to military service. It is contradictory and unjust to impose age-based restrictions on their right to carry handguns. This inconsistency suggests a lack of trust in their maturity and judgment, which contradicts the legal responsibilities already entrusted to them.

Public safety and self-defense

Young adults often find themselves in situations where the ability to defend themselves is crucial. Whether living in high-crime areas or attending college, the need for personal protection does not diminish based on age. Preventing 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns leaves them vulnerable and unable to exercise their right to self-defense effectively.

Strawser also pointed out that crime statistics reveal that young adults in Minnesota are committing fewer violent crimes than their older counterparts, though he adds that even if that weren’t the case the Second Amendment would outweigh the government’s public safety interest in suppressing the right to keep and bear arms for under-21s. 

The federal appeals court’s decision to overturn Minnesota’s age restriction on carrying handguns publicly is a positive move rooted in constitutional principles. It recognizes the importance of protecting individual rights, including those of young adults. Our organization fully supports this outcome.

The Star Tribune editorial fails to consider the broader implications of age-based handgun restrictions. We must uphold the Second Amendment rights of all adults, including 18- to 20-year-olds.

The state of Minnesota should save taxpayers further legal fees by accepting the decision and repealing other unconstitutional laws that violate the Second Amendment. Otherwise, we’ll continue to be forced to beat Keith Ellison and the Legislature in federal court.

Ellison says he hasn’t decided if he’ll appeal the Eighth Circuit’s decision, either through an en banc request or directly to the Supreme Court, but I’m in agreement with Strawser that the best option would be to take the loss. Given Ellison’s long history of anti-gun activism, I doubt he’ll give up this quickly. That would save taxpayers money, but, more importantly, it would also restore the right to bear arms that the state has stripped from young adults, and I’d be surprised if the anti-gun AG allows that to happen without needlessly dragging out the decision until the Supreme Court weighs in.