Ramsey County judge strikes down ban on binary triggers for firearms
A Ramsey County judge struck down a ban on a firearm device that can double the rate of fire, siding with a gun rights group that argued the way by which state lawmakers approved the law was unconstitutional.
Binary triggers are devices that allow a gun to shoot one shot on the pull of the trigger and a second shot when releasing it. Federal prosecutors said the guns used in the February 2024 shooting that killed two police officers and a paramedic in Burnsville had these triggers.
The language was tacked on in a last-minute amendment to a large tax bill before the DFL-controlled Legislature adjourned for the 2024 session. The 1,400 page legislation included many policies from taxes to rideshare regulations to licensing for veterinary technicians.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus this February filed a lawsuit challenging the provision, arguing it had nothing to do with operating and financing the state's government and that including it in that bill violated the section of the Minnesota Constitution that states "No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title."
They argued the provision is designed to prevent omnibus bills, "by which a number of different and disconnected subjects are united in one bill, and then carried through by a combination of interests," and that the Minnesota Legislature ignored that directive.
The group sought for the entire law to be nullified, but Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro in his ruling on Monday struck down just the binary trigger ban, citing previous Minnesota Supreme Court precedent.
"But make no mistake, during the late hours of May 19, 2024, lawmaking did not 'occur within the framework of the constitution,'" Castro said. "This Court respectfully suggests that if there has ever been bill without common theme and where 'all bounds of reason and restraint seem to have been abandoned,' this is it; and if there has ever been time for the 'draconian result of invalidating the entire law,' that time is now. "
Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, were named as defendants.
Ellison's office said in a statement that the state is "exploring its options to protect Minnesotans from binary trigger devices, which can dramatically increase the rate of fire and lethality of many firearms" and said it intends to appeal the ruling.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, praised the ruling. Republicans were outraged last year when Democrats approved the large omnibus bill with just hours to go before they had to adjourn, which was a chaotic end.
"This is an important win for transparency and accountability for the legislature," Johnson said. "This decision is a reminder that the legislative process exists to put Minnesotans first, not to sidestep them."
Note: The video above originally aired June 3, 2024.