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Justice Department Sues Minnesota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul Over Firearm-Purchase Waiting Periods
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 25, 2026). The United States Department of Justice has sued Minnesota and its two largest cities, arguing that the state’s permit-to-purchase system and related waiting periods violate the Second Amendment.
The federal complaint challenges requirements governing purchases of handguns and certain semiautomatic rifles. Minnesota generally requires a prospective purchaser who does not have a permit to carry to obtain authorization through a local police chief or county sheriff.
The Justice Department contends that the process can impose a delay of as long as 30 days under state law. It also alleges that some applicants in Minneapolis and Saint Paul have waited nearly 60 days.
Federal officials argue that people who have passed the necessary background screening should not be required to wait that long to acquire a firearm for protection inside their homes. The department is asking a federal court to permanently prevent enforcement of the challenged provisions.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sharply disputed the federal government’s position. Ellison said the laws were enacted through the democratic process and are intended to prevent people legally prohibited from possessing firearms from obtaining handguns and certain rifles.
The filing begins a lawsuit rather than settling the constitutional question. Minnesota and the two cities will be able to respond, contest the Justice Department’s factual assertions and defend the laws under Supreme Court precedents governing firearm regulations.
The litigation could carry national significance because it directly tests how far governments may go in requiring advance authorization and processing time before a person acquires a firearm. It also places Minneapolis and Saint Paul at the center of the federal administration’s expanding Second Amendment enforcement campaign.
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