Massachusetts Attorney General joins Blue State Coalition in calling for review of Minnesota gun law ruling

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit to reconsider a recent decision that struck down a Minnesota state law that prohibited anyone under 21 from carrying a concealed handgun in public.

Led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the coalition filed an amicus curiae brief with the court on August 1.

In the brief, the coalition is asking the court to reconsider its ruling. The court had sided with the plaintiffs who are challenging Minnesota's law restricting gun licenses for people under 21.

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Massachusetts has similar restrictions: applicants for a gun license must be at least 21 years old.

Attorneys general say the court's decision, if left unchecked, could undermine similar laws in more than 30 states that impose age-based restrictions on access to firearms.

They argue that these laws are constitutional, pointing to more than 150 years of legal precedent supporting age restrictions. The coalition claims that if the court's reasoning is applied in other cases, it could jeopardize states' ability to enforce various gun laws.

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In addition to Massachusetts, the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington also signed the letter.

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