This week, the St.Paul City Council will engage in a misguided attempt to regulate the storage of firearms in the city, violating Minnesota’s state preemption laws prohibiting cities from regulating firearms.
In response to the proposed changes to the St. Paul Legislative Code, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus issued the following statement:
“The City of Saint Paul is preempted under state law from passing their own firearms regulation ordinances, ” stated Bryan Strawser, Chair, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. “They are attempting to skirt restrictions imposed by the state legislature on all cities by defining ‘discharge of a firearm’ to include storage provisions for firearms.”
Saint Paul’s proposed ordinance is similar to the “defenseless storage mandate” considered earlier this year in the state legislature and abandoned after widespread opposition from County Sheriffs, County Attorneys, firearms instructors, and gun owners on legal and constitutional grounds.
“The proposed ordinance is ineffective, unconstitutional, and violates Minnesota’s preemption laws, ” added Rob Doar, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs. “We believe the city council’s time would be better spent focusing on enforcing existing laws and addressing the root causes of violence involving firearms instead of moving forward on a mandate that will have no impact on safety or violent crime in our communities.”
“Saint Paul must not adopt ordinances that conflict with the state’s preemption laws and the Second Amendment rights of Saint Paul residents, ” added Strawser. “As Minnesota’s premier Second Amendment advocacy organization, we remain committed to protecting and expanding the Second Amendment rights of all Minnesotans.”
“If enacted, we are prepared to challenge this ordinance in court immediately, ” added Doar.
PRESS RELEASE: Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, national partners, & individual plaintiffs prevail in major Second Amendment litigation in Minnesota