Minnesota says it can decide what constitutional rights people have
That Minnesota is a far-left state politically is no surprise, especially after the recent nationwide exposure of its governor, Tim Walz, as Kamala Harris’ No. 2 on the Democrat presidential ticket this year.
His radical transgender and pro-abortion agendas, his alignment with China’s ideologies, his questionable behaviors and wild claims, all were revealed to the alarm of many who were not previously familiar with his extremism.
The state’s leftism actually runs back decades, after it established itself as the only state in the nation to vote against Ronald Reagan for president.
And now the state’s questionable agenda regarding the U.S. Constitution has been further revealed by a lawsuit that charges the midwestern state has taken it on itself to decide people’s constitutional rights.
It is a lawsuit by Liberty Justice Center that charges Minnesota officials have insisted they can decide the Second Amendment rights of individuals.
The fight is over two truckers who may need to drive through the state, but are banned by the state from carrying firearms in their trucks for protection.
“David McCoy is a full-time, long-haul trucker who lives in the sleeper compartment of his eighteen-wheeler. He has a Texas License to Carry that permits him to bear arms in many states across the country. Jeffrey Johnson is also a full-time, long-haul trucker, with both a Florida Concealed Weapons License and Georgia Weapons Carry License. Even though both men have lawfully issued firearm licenses, they are currently prevented from carrying firearms for self-defense while in Minnesota because the state prohibits carrying a firearm for self-defense, in public or in one’s vehicle, without a Minnesota Permit to Carry or a permit recognized by the state,” the legal team explained.
The state decides which firearms permits from other states it will recognize, and it now excludes Texas, Georgia, and Florida, and some two dozen other states.
“Due to this law, neither Mr. McCoy nor Mr. Johnson can exercise their constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense due to fear of prosecution, which could jeopardize the credentials needed for their profession,” the institute reported.
The new lawsuit argues that Minnesota’s permitting law “deprives nonresidents of their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The lawsuit asks the court to find the law unconstitutional and order the state of Minnesota to honor firearm permits issued by all other states.”
“Minnesota’s refusal to honor other states’ lawfully issued firearm permits places an unreasonable burden on the Second Amendment rights of individuals like Mr. McCoy and Mr. Johnson who regularly cross state lines in the course of their work,” explained Loren Seehase, a lawyer for the center.
“There is no other constitutional right that individuals are prohibited from exercising until they’ve obtained permission from the state. No one loses their right to free speech or freedom of religion by simply driving from Texas to Minnesota—so why should they lose their right to self-defense?”