US Supreme Court won't save Minnesota age restriction on carrying guns
By Andrew Chung
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Minnesota can no longer enforce its law barring people younger than 21 years old from obtaining a permit to carry a handgun in public after the U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear its appeal of a judicial decision deeming the age restriction a violation of constitutional protections for gun rights.
The justices let stand a 2024 ruling by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the restriction violated the rights of people ages 18, 19 and 20 to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, declining to hear the Democratic-governed state's appeal.
The case represented one of many challenges to gun restrictions at the state and federal levels that have emerged since the Supreme Court further widened gun rights in a landmark 2022 ruling recognizing for the first time a Second Amendment right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense.
Gun rights groups including the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, as well as some of their members, challenged the state's age restriction in federal court.
Minnesota had been enforcing the age restriction while its appeals played out in court. The state called the restriction "modest" considering that youths already have significant access to guns in Minnesota - including no age restriction when supervised by a parent or guardian - and by age 14 they can possess guns on their property or while hunting without supervision.
More than 30 other states and the District of Columbia have similar restrictions on public carrying of firearms, reflecting concern that gun injuries are the leading cause of death among children and teens, Minnesota said in a court filing.
Courts "should not lightly set aside legislative attempts to address the increase in gun violence by young people," the state added.
A judge sided with the challengers in 2023. The 8th Circuit upheld that decision, citing the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that announced a stringent test that required gun laws to be "consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation" in order to comply with the Second Amendment.
Minnesota did not present evidence of a suitable historical analogue, the 8th Circuit said. While a government may disarm those who pose a threat to the physical safety of others, 8th Circuit said, "Minnesota has failed to show that 18- to 20-year-olds pose such a threat."
The Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in the case called New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen was one of three key decisions it has issued since 2008 that have broadened gun rights in a nation deeply divided over how to address firearms violence including frequent mass shootings. The United States has the world's highest gun ownership rate.
The court last year upheld a federal law that makes it a crime for people under domestic violence restraining orders to have guns, clarifying that the Bruen test is not inflexible and that modern gun restrictions do not require a "historical twin" in order to be lawful.
The court on April 7 turned away a challenge to gun restrictions that New York adopted after the Bruen ruling.
In another gun-related case, the court on March 26 upheld a federal regulation targeting largely untraceable "ghost guns," though that ruling did not center on Second Amendment issues.
Last year, the court upheld a federal law that makes it a crime for people under domestic violence restraining orders to have guns in a Second Amendment-related challenge but rejected a federal ban on "bump stock" devices that enable semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns in a case not focusing on Second Amendment rights.
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Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Sunday that there were 'violent people' in Los Angeles 'and they're not gonna get away with it.' Asked if he planned to send U.S. troops to Los Angeles, Trump replied: 'We're gonna have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country.' He didn't elaborate. About 500 Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Los Angeles were in a 'prepared to deploy status' Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Northern Command.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys hundreds of National Guard troops
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It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were 'overwhelmed' by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble. Starting in the morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted 'shame' and 'go home.' After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street. Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon. Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening. Governor says Guard not needed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Trump remove the guard members in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials. The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the increasingly aggressive protests on Trump's decision to deploy the Guard, calling it a move designed to enflame tensions. They've both urged protesters to remain peaceful. 'What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,' she said in an afternoon press conference. 'This is about another agenda, this isn't about public safety.' But McDonnell, the LAPD chief, said the protests were following a similar pattern for episodes of civil unrest, with things ramping up in the second and third days. He pushed back against claims by the Trump administration that the LAPD had failed to help federal authorities when protests broke out Friday after a series of immigration raids. His department responded as quickly as it could, and had not been notified in advance of the raids and therefore was not pre-positioned for protests, he said. Newsom, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that California authorities had the situation under control. He mocked Trump for posting a congratulatory message to the Guard on social media before troops had even arrived in Los Angeles, and said on MSNBC that Trump never floated deploying the Guard during a Friday phone call. He called Trump a 'stone cold liar.' The admonishments did not deter the administration. 'It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Deployment follows days of protest The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton . Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot. The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement. 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Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Sunday that there were 'violent people' in Los Angeles 'and they're not gonna get away with it.' Asked if he planned to send U.S. troops to Los Angeles , Trump replied: 'We're gonna have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country.' He didn't elaborate. About 500 Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Los Angeles were in a 'prepared to deploy status' Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Northern Command. ___ Offenhartz reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed to this report from Bridgewater, New Jersey. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Japan confirms China's aircraft carrier sailed east of Iwo Jima for first time
TOKYO (Reuters) -The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through waters east of the island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's top government spokesperson said on Monday. Japan would strengthen surveillance and gather necessary information, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular press briefing in Tokyo. Japan has also sent "an appropriate message" to China, Hayashi said without elaborating. Iwo Jima is located 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo. A statement by Japan's Joint Staff showed over the weekend that the Liaoning, accompanied by some other ships, sailed in the sea within Japan's exclusive economic zone near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima. Japan had also confirmed fighter jets and helicopters taking off and landing from Liaoning in the waters southeast of Iwo Jima on Sunday.
