St. Paul, MN – A Ramsey County judge has overturned Minnesota’s ban on binary triggers, ruling that lawmakers violated the state constitution when they buried the restriction inside a 1,400-page tax bill last year.
Binary triggers allow a firearm to fire once when the trigger is pulled and again when it’s released. While anti-gun lawmakers rushed to outlaw them after the 2024 Burnsville tragedy, Judge Leonardo Castro said the way the ban was passed broke Minnesota’s constitutional rules.
Judge’s Rebuke of “Kitchen Sink” Lawmaking
In his ruling, Castro didn’t mince words about the massive omnibus bill that crammed together taxes, housing, rideshare regulations, veterinary licensing, and gun control.
“The 2024 Omnibus Bill violates the Single Subject and Title Clause, because, at best, it contains many non-germane parts, and at worst, has no identifiable common theme,” Castro wrote. He added: “If there has ever been a bill without common theme and where ‘all bounds of reason and restraint seem to have been abandoned,’ this is it; and if there has ever been time for the ‘draconian result of invalidating the entire law,’ that time is now.”
Castro ultimately struck down only the binary trigger ban, citing Minnesota Supreme Court precedent that favors cutting out unconstitutional pieces instead of tossing entire laws. But he warned that other provisions of the bill could face similar challenges.
Gun Rights Victory
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, which filed the lawsuit, celebrated the decision as a major win for constitutional law and transparency.
“Today, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus ended Minnesota’s binary trigger ban,” said Chair Bryan Strawser. “The Walz administration and anti-gun legislators tried to sneak an unconstitutional restriction into a massive omnibus bill. The court said no. Minnesota’s Constitution — not backroom deals — controls how laws are made in this state.”
Republican lawmakers echoed that sentiment. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) said: “This decision is a reminder that the legislative process exists to put Minnesotans first, not to sidestep them. The people’s business must be done in the light of day, not buried in last-minute sham hearings for mega-bills.”
State Officials Plan to Fight Back
Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both named as defendants, said they will appeal. A spokesperson for Ellison argued the ruling undermines public safety: “The State is exploring its options to protect Minnesotans from binary trigger devices, which can dramatically increase the rate of fire and lethality of many firearms.”
Democrats tied the ban to the Burnsville ambush where three first responders were killed, and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) called the ruling “a disappointment” that “makes Minnesota communities less safe.”
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Franklin Armory G-S173 Slide w/ Gen3 Binary Trigger -17-50000-BLK | Palmetto State Armory | $ 899.99 $ 809.99 |
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Franklin Armory Binary Trigger for Glock 19 Gen 3 | Ammunition Depot | $ 673.99 |
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Franklin Armory 02-50000-BLK BFSIII 22-C1 10/22 Binary Trigger | Shooters Choice | $ 299.99 |
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Franklin Armory BFSIII HK-C1 Binary Trigger - 05-50000-BLK | Palmetto State Armory | $ 700.99 $ 630.99 |
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What Comes Next
For now, binary triggers remain legal in Minnesota, reversing the January 2025 ban that carried felony penalties and no grandfathering for existing owners. But with the state appealing, the fight isn’t over.
The bigger question may be whether Castro’s sharp rebuke of the Legislature’s “everything but the kitchen sink” approach opens the door to more lawsuits challenging other provisions crammed into the 2024 omnibus bill.
As Castro himself noted, “severance of the challenged portion alone will not bring the 2024 Omnibus Bill into constitutional compliance — not even close.”
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“ the ruling undermines public safety”
Is that not interest balancing? I thought that was not allowed.
HLB
HEY Mrs. Bondi, YOU MUST go after the LAWLESS “politicians” that occupy Maryland. They have enacted the Anti-Constitutional laws that come out of Kalifornia and other states that HATE Americans CONSTITUTIONALLY ACKNOWLEDGED God given RIGHTS and FREEDOMS!!
MN is like many other blue states, controlled by a couple of large blue cities and the rest of the state has to suffer from blue fever and the dfl party.
this is also one of the reasons i left many years ago.
community safety is not valid reason to ban binary triggers according to scotus rulings, but progs are gonna do what progs do, force litigation. if only they had to pay for this litigation and not strap the taxpayers with the costs.
This is the first good thing the Dorr brothers run MN Gun Owners Caucus has done here in MN.
But, how long will it last before appealed and reversed?
Interesting that a state feels ok to do this is a budget bill, when Congress was told by one sole, solitary person, that the US Congress could not use a tax bill to remove suppressors and SBR.
judge should have struck whole “law” because it violated the law and killed let them go to higher court and defend violating state constitution to do what they want
Once again I will be at odds with some of the people in the free states that argue that each state has the right to make its own laws regardless of what the federal government says. I say, if it is federally legal then it should be the same for all states and that states should not be allowed to make or enforce laws that are unconstitutional or go against federal law while understanding that states like Texas, South Dakota and West Virginia are making laws that circumvent what the federal government has determined and overriding what it says with… Read more »
The rate of fire of any semi automatic firearm is controlled by how fast the gas system can fully operate the bolt carrier group, slide, etc. One can, and should, and is encouraged to, determine their firearms cycle rate before investing in a binary trigger. I don’t think there is a person alive that can operate a binary trigger faster than a guns gas system can operate. If you can,brhe gun will jam and you should have determined that before you spent the money. More importantly, the best and most practical use for a binary trigger in a msr is… Read more »