A ruling today by Ramsey County, MN District Court Judge John Finley that the state’s two-year-old concealed carry law is unconstitutional is an affront to the state’s law-abiding citizens, and should be quickly reversed by an appeals court, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said.
“Judge Finley’s ruling is a slap in the face to more than 30,000 Minnesota residents who have legally obtained concealed pistol licenses,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We urge Attorney General Michael Hatch to quickly appeal this decision, and in the meantime, make certain that a stay is granted so that Minnesota firearms owners can continue obtaining their licenses immediately upon completing the requirements.”
“Ideally,” added CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron, “the appeals process will take less than a month or two, during which time no Minnesota resident should have his or her safety placed in peril by this lower court decision. This really is a safety issue, and with all due respect to the plaintiffs in this case, the Adath Jeshurun Congregation, a church group does not have the right to interfere with the self-defense right of any citizen.”
Gottlieb and Waldron both wondered why a challenge to the law took so long to make it through the court.
“This law has been on the books for two years,” Gottlieb noted. “It works, the plaintiffs know it works, and yet here they are, selfishly pushing a political agenda onto the backs of their fellow Minnesotans. This effort has far less to do with a concern about public safety or private property rights than it does about an anti-gun religious group arrogantly trying to enforce its personal code of conduct on every Minnesota resident. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?”
“It is difficult to imagine,” Waldron stated, “that Judge Finley’s ruling will stand. That’s up to the court system. However, it seems to me that community leaders would want their neighbors to have a better means of defending themselves and their families than calling 911 and praying that the police arrive in time.”
