A Minnesota gun control measure was struck down Tuesday after the state’s Court of Appeals ruled that the implementation of a 2024 ban on “binary triggers” violated procedural rules within the state constitution.
The restriction had originally been added to an omnibus spending bill by Democratic lawmakers, a move that the court found breached the state’s legislative requirements. Binary triggers allow a firearm to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and a second round when it is released, increasing the potential rate of fire.
The legal challenge was brought forward by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, a state affiliate of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). The group won their challenge in both the initial district court and the subsequent appeals court.
“This is the sort of shenanigan used by anti-gunners time and again to conceal something they know would never pass muster in the broad daylight,” said Alan Gottlieb, Chairman of the CCRKBA, in a statement responding to the ruling. “We’re delighted our colleagues at the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, a CCRKBA state affiliate, challenged this sneaky tactic.”
The ruling follows a legislative session that recently concluded without the passage of a broader firearm restriction package proposed by Governor Tim Walz’s administration.
Gottlieb stated that the court’s decision “reinforces the argument that such legislation can only be passed by trickery in the shadows because it would never stand up to scrutiny out in the open, which is exactly what just happened before the Minnesota appeals court.”
Referring to the administration and members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, Gottlieb noted that lawmakers were “defeated twice this month,” pointing to both the court ruling and a recent legislative standoff. “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,” Gottlieb said. “We hope Minnesota voters remember this in November.”
The state has not yet announced whether it intends to appeal the decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
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