Religious Objections to Minn. Concealed Carry Law

In an April 12 case, Unity Church of St. Paul v. State, the Minnesota Court of Appeals avoided deciding an interesting state constitutional claim. It was raised in a challenge to Minnesota's law requiring sheriffs to issue permits for the concealed carrying of handguns to qualified applicants. Various churches, committed to principles of non-violence and peace, claimed that the law violated the Freedom of Conscience clause of the Minnesota Constitution. The law permitted handguns to be carried into churches unless the church posted conspicuous signs banning guns and verbally demanded compliance. The court struck down the Minnesota Citizens' Personal Protection Act on the basis of the state constitution's "single subject rule" and thereby avoided getting to the Freedom of Conscience claim.