A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a gun owner’s group that sought to force the Minnesota State Fair to allow weapons-permit holders to carry their firearms on the fairgrounds at this year’s state fair.
The ruling was made by Chief U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, which puts and end to the latest efforts by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. In their lawsuit, the gun group argued that the State Fair’s ban on firearms constituted a violation of Minnesota state statutes and the U.S. Constitution.
This is just the latest decision to go against the gun group, as a Ramsey County judge rejected their request for a temporary injunction on the gun ban last year. In that case, the judge ruled that the group had failed to meet the burden of proof of its claims. The group had argued that the ban violated the Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The ban on guns at the state fair isn’t new, as this year will be the twentieth straight year that firearms have been banned on the premise. Guns have been banned since 2003, and state fair officials began conducting bag checks for weapons and other banned items in 2016.
Appeals Planned
The caucus has already stated that they will reviewing their options for appeal in the coming weeks, but it seems highly unlikely that any firearm ban will be reversed prior to the fair, which kicks off on August 25th and runs through September 5th.
The group was hoping that the federal judge would take into consideration a ruling that was made in June in New York, which struck down a law that required a license to carry a concealed weapon in public places. Gun advocacy groups saw the decision as an expansion of U.S. private citizen gun rights and a restriction on government oversight on how guns can be legally carried in public.
We’re not going to weigh in one way or another on the gun issue, but we do want to help you stay safe at the Minnesota State Fair! Check out those tips for staying safe at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and if you run into any trouble and need a lawyer, make sure your first call is to the team at Appelman Law Firm. For more information, or for assistance with your case, reach out to our team today at (952) 224-2277.
