Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court following a lower court's decision in Worth v. Jacobson, which invalidated a state law restricting handgun permits for individuals aged 18 to 20. The appeal seeks to maintain public safety by upholding the age limit for carrying loaded handguns in public.
Ellison stated, "I’m committed to using all the tools I have to reduce gun violence and improve public safety, and today, I’m asking the Supreme Court to join me." He added, "I believe Minnesota’s ban on 18-to-20-year-olds carrying loaded handguns in public is constitutional and will lead to fewer senseless gun deaths across our state."
The law remains effective until the appeals process concludes. The challenge originated from a lawsuit filed in June 2021 by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and other groups, claiming that their Second Amendment rights were violated.
In defense of the law, two expert reports were submitted. Constitutional historian Saul Cornell provided historical support for age-based restrictions on gun use, while John J. Donohue presented data supporting these restrictions' impact on reducing gun violence.
The federal district court had ruled against Minnesota based on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which requires states to align modern firearm regulations with historical practices from the Founding Era.
Following this ruling, Minnesota appealed but was not allowed additional briefing after a new Supreme Court opinion in United States v. Rahimi clarified that states need only demonstrate that modern regulations align with Second Amendment principles rather than identical historical precedents.
Ellison is seeking a review due to what he perceives as inadequate application of this new guidance by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and argues there is substantial historical evidence supporting Minnesota's regulation.