The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a ban on so-called “binary triggers” violated a procedural requirement in the state’s constitution.
Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature inserted the ban on the triggers into a 2024 tax-and-spending bill at the end of the legislative session, prompting a lawsuit from the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus (MNGOC) seeking to strike down the law on the grounds that it violated the state constitution’s “Single Subject and Title Clause.” The appeals court upheld a lower court’s ruling that invalidated the ban on those grounds, according to a MNGOC release.
“The Walz administration and anti-gun legislators tried to sneak a firearms ban into an omnibus bill where it didn’t belong. The district court said no. The Court of Appeals said no,” MNGOC Chair Bryan Strawser said in the release. “Minnesota’s Constitution, not legislative gamesmanship, controls how laws get made in this state, and Minnesota gun owners just proved it twice.”
PRESS RELEASE: Minnesota Court of Appeals Affirms Victory for Gun Owners, Strikes Binary Trigger Ban as Unconstitutional
ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Court of Appeals today affirmed the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus’s constitutional victory over Minnesota’s binary trigger ban,… pic.twitter.com/DDgo62Wkud
— MN Gun Owners Caucus (@mnguncaucus) May 26, 2026
Should legislative provisions be restricted to single subjects in Minnesota?
Franklin Armory patented the “Binary Firing System,” and installs the triggers on a number of popular firearms, including various AR-15 models and Glock pistols. The system fires one round when the trigger is pulled and another round when it is released, according to the United States Concealed Carry Association.
“Today’s ruling is a warning to every legislator who thinks the single-subject clause is optional,” Rob Doar, president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, said in the release. “Two courts have now told the Legislature that you cannot bury gun control provisions inside unrelated bills and call it lawmaking. If anti-gun lawmakers try this again in 2026 or beyond, we will be back in court, and we will win again.”
The ruling marks the latest setback for Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who pushed for passage of a ban on so-called “assault weapons” in the current legislative session, only to see the bill fail to pass the state House of Representatives.
Walz and Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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