ST. LOUIS (trfnews.i234.me) – In a landmark decision on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a unanimous ruling in favor of Minnesota gun owners and Second Amendment advocates. The court ruled that Minnesota’s ban on concealed carry for individuals under the age of 21 is unconstitutional, marking a significant victory in the case of Worth v. Jacobson.
The three-judge panel found that Minnesota’s prohibition on issuing permits to carry firearms to young adults, which had been in effect since 2003, violates the Second Amendment. Minnesota Statute 624.714, which allowed for the denial of permits to those under 21 and penalized unpermitted public carrying with gross misdemeanor or felony charges, was overturned by the ruling.
The lawsuit challenging the ban was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, and four individual plaintiffs: Austin Dye, Alex Anderson, Joe Knudsen, and Kristin Worth.
In its decision, the appeals court upheld a prior district court ruling, asserting that the Second Amendment’s protections extend to 18- to 20-year-olds, who are considered part of “the people.” Judge William Duane Benton emphasized that the Second Amendment does not specify an age limit, stating, “Ordinary, law-abiding 18- to 20-year-old Minnesotans are unambiguously members of the people. Because the plain text of the Second Amendment covers the plaintiffs and their conduct, it is presumptively constitutionally protected.”
The court concluded that Minnesota failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the age-based restriction, declaring, “The Carry Ban … violates the Second Amendment as applied to Minnesota through the Fourteenth Amendment, and, thus, is unconstitutional.”
Bryan Strawser, chairman of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, hailed the decision as a major victory, noting, “This is a resounding victory for 18- to 20-year-old adults who wish to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms.” Rob Doar, senior vice president and political director for the organization, warned politicians against infringing on Second Amendment rights, stating that the ruling could influence future legal actions and challenges against similar bans in other states.