Today, the Justice Department filed suit against the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and the City of St. Paul. As stated in the lawsuit, Minnesota’s permit to purchase and waiting period regulatory scheme violate the Second Amendment for law-abiding citizens who desire to acquire firearms for self-defense in their homes. For Minnesotans who do not intend to carry in public, state law imposes a thirty-day waiting period. The lawsuit also challenges waiting periods in St. Paul and Minneapolis, where some citizens are forced to wait nearly 60 days.
“The Supreme Court held that the home is where the need for defense of self, family, and property is most acute. When a person needs to defend their home, they need to defend it now, not thirty to sixty days from now,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Law-abiding citizens do not need government permission to purchase a firearm, and forcing a citizen who has already passed a background check to wait up to sixty days to obtain a firearm is intolerable under the Constitution.”
“We are committed to protecting Minnesotans’ right to purchase firearms and we will not tolerate procedures that are wielded in a way that impairs that right,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota.
The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section enforces the Second Amendment , the Police Pattern or Practice Act ( 34 U.S.C. § 12601 ), and Executive Order 14206 . If you are a current or prospective gun owner and believe that a state or local government has infringed your right to keep or bear arms, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.