Minnesota 18-20 Year Old's Gun Tights Restored

The United States Supreme Court has refused to hear Minnesota’s appeal of the state’s carry age restrictions on 18 to 20-year-old adults, which were previously determined to violate Constitutional protections.

Minnesota enforced the now-defunct age restriction law throughout the appeals process, beginning in 2023 when a district judge sided with challengers, through 2024, when that ruling was upheld by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and right up until Monday, April 21, this year, when the case came to a sudden and decisive halt after being rejected on appeal by the Supreme Court.

The previous 8th Circuit decision cited the state’s failure to present evidence of a suitable historical analogue, making it clear that while a government is permitted to disarm individuals who threaten the safety of themselves and others, “Minnesota has failed to show that 18- to 20-year-olds pose such a threat.”

While this is a win for the Second Amendment community, the way the law’s unconstitutional application survived both district court and Court of Appeals rulings for several years until the state’s final Supreme Court rejection is somewhat disturbing. Do you think we, as Americans, would be afforded the same opportunity to defy lower and appeals rulings for years as if they didn’t count? Certainly, we would see the inside of a prison cell if we treated rulings with such blatant disregard. Additionally, I’d like to know what compensation, if any, is now owed to constituents who were forced to live under a law for several years after it had already been adjudicated unconstitutional by two courts. I won’t hold my breath.