By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling which strikes a ban on “binary triggers” which was slipped into an omnibus sending package in 2024, handing Gov. Tim Walz and legislative Democrats another defeat, one week after the Legislature adjourned without passing a major gun control package.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is celebrating its victory. The group sued because the binary trigger ban, which was essentially snuck into the 2024 omnibus tax/spending bill violated the state constitution’s single subject rule. Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro agreed, and this week, the Appeals Court upheld his ruling.
MGOC Chairman Bryan Strawser stated in a news release, “This is a complete victory on the question we asked the court to decide. The Walz administration and anti-gun legislators tried to sneak a firearms ban into an omnibus bill where it didn’t belong. The district court said no. The Court of Appeals said no. Minnesota’s Constitution, not legislative gamesmanship, controls how laws get made in this state, and Minnesota gun owners just proved it twice.”
Joining Strawser in celebrating the appeals court ruling was the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
“We’re delighted our colleagues at the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, a CCRKBA state affiliate, challenged this sneaky tactic,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Tim Walz and his anti-gun-rights DFL cronies in St. Paul were defeated twice this month, once when they couldn’t pressure Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth with their ridiculous ‘sit-in’ to bring their gun ban bill up for a vote, and now by the state Court of Appeals. It was briefly fun to watch them pout like disappointed spoiled brats, but the novelty wore off pretty fast. All they’ve proven is their willingness to be sneaky and childish in an effort to get their way, while the adults at the capitol and in the court keep them in check. We hope Minnesota voters remember this in November.”
DFL gun control proponents will likely revive their gun ban legislation in 2027, especially if they take control of the House, where there is currently an even split, with Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth as House Speaker. MGOC is crediting her with holding the line against the gun control package, which triggered the sit-in a few days before the legislature adjourned.
