Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit to uphold a Minnesota law that prohibits individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed handguns in public.
In the brief, Attorney General Tong and his colleagues request that the full court reconsider its recent three-judge opinion favoring plaintiffs who challenged the Minnesota law, which generally restricts concealed carry permits to individuals aged 21 and older. Connecticut had also participated in a July 2023 coalition defending this law in the same case.
"Age restrictions on concealed carry permits are lifesaving and commonsense. That’s why Minnesota, Connecticut, and dozens of other states have adopted similar statutes. The lower court ruling will make millions of Americans less safe, and it must be overturned," said Attorney General Tong.
The attorneys general argue that if the court's initial opinion is not corrected, it will raise questions about the constitutionality of similar statutes in more than 30 other states with age restrictions on firearms access. They contend these statutes are constitutional because they align with the country's historical tradition, noting that states have enacted similar laws for over 150 years. The coalition warns that adopting this reasoning elsewhere could undermine states' ability to defend and enforce various firearms regulations.
Joining Attorney General Tong in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.