When Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz signed a far-reaching bill last year, he touted the ban on binary triggers—devices that cause a gun to fire once when the trigger is pulled and again when it is released.
“Tomorrow, our law banning deadly binary gun triggers goes into effect,” Walz posted on X. “We’re not hiding behind thoughts and prayers in Minnesota.”
Now, however, Walz isn’t crowing quite so loudly. On August 18, a Ramsey County, Minnesota, Judge struck down the binary trigger ban, which was part of a 1,400-page omnibus that addressed several different matters.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus filed a lawsuit, arguing the binary trigger ban had nothing to do with operating and financing the state’s government. Consequently, they argued, including it in the bill violated a section of the Minnesota Constitution limiting laws to embracing a single subject.
“The state has repeatedly tried to bury gun control provisions inside sprawling omnibus bills,” Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus Senior Vice President Rob Doar said in a press release. “Today’s ruling makes clear that this practice violates the Minnesota Constitution.”
In his ruling, Judge Leonardo Castro wrote: “The 2024 Omnibus Bill violates the Single Subject and Title Clause, because, at best, it contains many non germane parts, and at worst, has no identifiable common theme. Make no mistake, during the late hours of May 19, 2024, lawmaking did not ‘occur within the framework of the constitution.”
Judge Castro added: “This Court respectfully suggests that if there has ever been a bill without a common theme and where ‘all bounds of reason and restraint seem to have been abandoned,’ this is it; and if there has ever been a time for the ‘draconian result of invalidating the entire law,’ that time is now.”
Of course, Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both named defendants in the lawsuit, were dismayed by the ruling. A statement released by Ellison’s office said 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.” Ellison also said he plans to appeal the ruling.
For their part, the Republican lawmakers who had opposed the bill were pleased with the judge’s ruling.
“This is an important win for transparency and accountability for the legislature,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson told CBS News. “This decision is a reminder that the legislative process exists to put Minnesotans first, not to sidestep them.”
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