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On election day 2015, we were contacted by a supporter who had seen a "guns banned" signed at a Ramsey County polling place in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Further research showed that the Ramsey County Elections Reference Guide stated that firearms were prohibited in polling places.
Such regulation is clearly pre-empted under Minnesota statutes under MN 624.714, MN 471.633, and MN 624.717.
We chose to take on this fight to ensure that a clear message is sent to cities, counties, and other government entities in Minnesota about honoring the Second Amendment.
Timeline
- 11/05/2015: Initial letter to Ramsey County Elections
- 11/06/2015: Response from Ramsey County Elections
- 11/06/2015: Ramsey County Ordinance 2013-214
- 12/21/2015: Demand Letter from MN Gun Owners Caucus General Counsel Ben Rust to Ramsey County
- 02/12/2016: Response from Ramsey County Attorney's Office on changes that they will make in order to be compliant with state law
Outcome
In January, our General Counsel began a dialogue with the Civil Division of the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to resolve this issue. Ramsey County agreed to take a number of actions as a result of these discussions:
- The signs would be revised to remove the anti-gun images and wording
- The training material for election judges would be revised to remove the references to weapons in polling places
You can read the full response, in writing, from the Ramsey County Attorney's Office here.
I want to help with similar fights!
We'd love to have your help with our legal action project. Here are a few things that you can do right away:
- If you are a lawyer or paralegal, or have strong research skills, we'd love to have you volunteer with us on our legal action efforts. Click here to complete our volunteer form, then visit our contact page to drop us a note with additional information about your background.
- Join the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. Your annual membership will help us continue to take legal action to defend your Second Amendment rights across the state.
- Already a member? Make an additional donation to the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. Again, your donation will help us continue the fight against situations like what Ramsey County gun owners faced on election day.