Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit urging the Court to revisit an opinion striking down a Minnesota law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed handguns in public. 

In the brief, Nessel and the coalition asked the court to review its recent opinion in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Minnesota law that generally restricts the issuance of concealed carry permits to people ages 21 and up. Nessel also joined a July 2023 coalition defending the law in the same case. 

“Minnesota's concealed carry law is aimed at preventing the negative impacts of gun violence on our communities, which is of utmost importance across the nation,” said Nessel. “The age restriction on concealed carry will ultimately help secure public safety. I stand proudly with my colleagues in supporting the Minnesota legislation.” 

In the brief, the attorneys general explain that the court’s opinion, if not corrected, will raise questions about the constitutionality of similar statutes in more than 30 other states with age restrictions on firearms access. The coalition explained those statutes are constitutional because they are consistent with our country’s historical tradition, in that states have enacted similar laws for over 150 years.

Attorney General Nessel and the coalition argue that the opinion should be reheard because its reasoning, if adopted elsewhere, could threaten the states’ ability to defend and enforce all manner of firearms regulations.  

Joining Nessel in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.