MINNEAPOLIS, MN (August 8, 2022) – Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) has filed a motion for summary judgment in its Worth v. Harrington lawsuit, a case that seeks to restore the right of adults under 21 years of age to carry loaded, operable arms in public for self-defense in Minnesota. The motion can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.
“At the time the Second Amendment was ratified, not only were there no laws in any state that purported to limit the rights of 18-to-20-year-olds to carry firearms for self-defense, there were several laws enacted, including the Militia Act of 1792, that required 18-year-olds to buy and maintain firearms,” FPC argues in the motion. “Defendants will not be able to point to any historical tradition that could justify Minnesota’s attempt to deviate from the plain text of the Second Amendment, therefore this Court must declare the Carry Ban unconstitutional.”
The State of Minnesota also filed its own motion for summary judgment, which began by arguing that this case is “part of [FPC’s] coordinated, multi-state litigation plan to force a determination on the issue of whether the Second Amendment covers the right of 18-to-20-year-olds to publicly carry handguns,” and went on to say that “[t]he plain text of the Second Amendment does not cover those under 21, therefore a historical analysis is unnecessary” and that “18-20 year old women are also not covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment.”
“Not only can Minnesota not point to a single Founding Era law that prohibited 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying a functional firearm for self-defense, but those individuals are a key reason we have a Bill of Rights in the first place,” said FPC Senior Attorney for Constitutional Litigation Cody J. Wisniewski. “The typical age of individuals that fought the British for our Independence was between 17 and 20 years old. The State’s arguments that Minnesota’s carry ban is supported by relevant history and that adult women have no right to keep and bear arms is beyond absurd. We look forward to vindicating the rights of young people in this and other cases.”
In addition to Worth, other FPC cases seeking to restore young adults’ right to keep and bear arms include Lara v. Evanchick (vs. Pennsylvania, in the 3rd Circuit), Andrews v. McCraw (vs. Texas, in the 5th Circuit), Reese v. ATF (vs. the federal government, in the 5th Circuit), Bassett v. Slatery (vs. Tennessee, in the 6th Circuit), Meyer v. Raoul (vs. Illinois, in the 7th Circuit), Jones v. Bonta (vs. California, in the 9th Circuit), and Baughcum v. Jackson (vs. Georgia, in the 11th Circuit).
Individuals who would like to Join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs 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 constitutionally protected 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.
