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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 4 april 2023
Minnesota gun ruling is latest citing Supreme Court decision

By STEVE KARNOWSKI ond Amendment rights.
Associated Press “If the Court were permit-
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A ted to consider the value
federal court ruling that of these goals and how
a Minnesota law prohibit- well Minnesota’s age re-
ing 18-to-20-year-olds from quirement fits the ends to
obtaining permits to carry be achieved, the outcome
handguns in public is un- here would likely be differ-
constitutional remained ent,” she wrote.
on hold Monday while the Attorney General Keith El-
state pursues a potential lison’s office, on behalf of
appeal. the Minnesota Department
A reluctant U.S. District of Public Safety, said district
Judge Katherine Menen- and appeals courts across
dez struck down the state the country have issued
law on Friday, citing a land- conflicting rulings on the
mark U.S. Supreme Court rights of 18-to-20-year-olds
decision on gun rights last to carry firearms outside
year. But after the state at- the home. It said the issue
torney general’s office filed is likely to be settled by the
an emergency motion for U.S. Supreme Court. So it
a stay, she agreed to hold asked the judge to stay her
off, meaning 18-to-20-year- order while the office con-
olds still can’t apply for car- A Glock handgun is holstered on the side of Kristopher Kranz of Bloomington, Minn., as he listens siders an appeal, or at least
ry permits in Minnesota until during public testimony on Aug. 20, 2013, in St. Paul, Minn. for 60 days so that state
the matter is resolved. Associated Press authorities can determine
The ruling is the latest exam- how to responsibly imple-
ple how the Supreme Court The judge has not set a it changed the test that protects the rights of 18-to- ment the change.
case, known as the Bruen hearing date. lower courts had long used 20-year-olds to obtain carry The Minnesota Gun Own-
decision, has upended gun Menendez said in her order for evaluating challenges permits. But she also wrote ers Caucus hailed the
laws nationwide, dividing Friday that she was obligat- to firearm restrictions. The that other courts have judge’s ruling as a victory
courts and sowing confu- ed by the Bruen decision to justices said judges should “struggled with decipher- for 18-to-20-year-old adults
sion over what restrictions conclude that that Second no longer consider whether ing exactly how to apply who want to exercise their
can remain in force. Amendment guarantees the law serves pubic inter- Bruen’s instructions.” constitutional right to bear
The plaintiffs are three gun the rights of 18-to-20-year- ests like protecting public While Minnesota adopted arms. Bryan Strawser, who
rights groups, including the olds to bear arms in public safety. Under the new test, its age restriction in 2003 chairs the group, said fed-
Minnesota Gun Owners for self defense. courts must ask whether a over public safety concerns eral courts in Georgia, Ten-
Caucus, and three individ- The Bruen decision, the gun restriction is consistent about allowing young nessee and Texas have
uals who were over 18 but high court’s biggest gun rul- with the country’s “histori- adults to carry handguns, ruled the same way.
under 21 when the lawsuit ing in more than a decade, cal tradition of firearm reg- she concluded that the But gun safety groups said
was filed in 2021. held that Americans have ulation.” Menendez con- high court’s ruling doesn’t Menendez got the compli-
They have until Wednesday a right to carry firearms in cluded that that means allow balancing public cated job of interpreting
to file a response. public for self-defense. And the Second Amendment safety interests against Sec- the Bruen ruling wrong. q

Distraction, speeding, alcohol drive up 2021 traffic deaths

By TOM KRISHER prompted the agency to said such cases likely are the year. The number of Steve Kiefer, a retired
AP Auto Writer kick off a $5 million adver- under-reported by police. unbelted passengers killed General Motors execu-
DETROIT (AP) — Nearly tising campaign in an effort The number of pedestrians rose 8.1%, while fatalities tive whose son, Mitchel,
43,000 people died in U.S. to keep drivers focused on killed rose 13%, and cyclist involving alcohol-impaired was killed in a 2016 dis-
traffic crashes in 2021, the the road. Agency officials fatalities were up 2% for driving were up 14%. tracted driving crash, said
highest number in 16 years Speeding-related deaths cell phones are a primary
with deaths due to speed- increased 7.9%, while crash cause of distraction. But
ing and impaired or dis- deaths involving large technology is available to
tracted driving on the rise. trucks weighing over 10,000 prevent it including “do
The 2021 final numbers, pounds were up 17%. not disturb” modes, as well
released Monday by the At a news conference Mon- as apps and in-car systems
National Highway Traffic day in Seattle, NHTSA fo- that watch drivers to make
Safety Administration, con- cused on distracted driving sure they’re paying atten-
firmed earlier estimates fatalities, which speakers tion. “All of this technol-
by the agency showing a said are entirely prevent- ogy is available today, and
10.5% increase in deaths able if people stop using there’s no reason we can’t
over 2020. That’s the high- their cell phones, eating, use it and roll it out quickly,”
est number since 2005 and or doing other things that Kiefer said. Distracted driv-
the largest percentage in- divert attention from the ing deaths are related to
crease since 1975. road. “Remember it only America’s addiction to cell
Data shows a 12% rise in fa- takes a moment to change phones, said Kiefer, who
tal crashes involving at least Emergency workers work the scene of a fatal accident on Aug. your life forever,” said So- started a foundation with
24, 2021 in Tulsa, Okla.
one distracted driver, with Associated Press phie Shulman, NHTSA dep- the goal of ending distract-
3,522 people killed. That uty administrator. ed driving. q