Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty statement on Eighth Circuit Court ruling

The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Minnesota’s law banning people ages 18 to 20 from receiving permits to carry guns in public is unconstitutional. The ruling opens the door for people as young as 18 years old to apply for permits in the near future.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released the following statement:

“The ruling from the federal appeals court is incredibly disappointing. Having young people carrying weapons in public is not in the interests of public safety. We know that young people’s brains are still developing at this age, and that can lead to poor judgment including gun violence. While the majority of these sorts of crimes emanate from a tiny sliver of the population, it is our collective responsibility to keep pursuing ways to reduce gun violence to prevent crime from happening.”

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