ST. LOUIS, MO (August 16, 2023) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of its response brief with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in its lawsuit challenging the Minnesota law prohibiting young adults from receiving a permit to carry firearms in public for self defense. The brief is the latest step in Minnesota’s appeal after the district court judge ruled in favor of FPC and struck down Minnesota’s ban as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. The brief in Worth v. Harrington can be viewed at FPCLaw.org.
“The State argues that Plaintiffs’ claims fail at either the textual or historical level, but as the district court’s well-reasoned opinion demonstrates, there can be no question that 18-to-20-year-olds are members of ‘the people’ whose rights are protected, and the State has failed to come forward with evidence of even one relevant restriction from the Founding era,” argues the brief. “The restrictions it collects from the latter half of the 19th century, in addition to being too late, are distinguishable from the Carry Ban.”
“It is clear from our Nation’s history that young adults–aged 18-20 years–enjoy the same constitutional protections as their 21-year-old counterparts,” said Cody J. Wisniewski, General Counsel and Vice President of Legal for FPC Action Foundation, and counsel for FPC. “Given that Minnesota cannot point to a single historical analogue to justify its modern prohibition, its fight to prevent young adults from exercising their constitutionally protected right to bear arms in public is doomed. We’re confident that the Eighth Circuit will uphold our win at the district court.”
Individuals who would like to join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs like these can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to the FPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs.
FPC Law (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.