Firearms law
Richmond is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association as well as a member of Gun Owners of America and the Firearms Policy Coalition. He has been involved in shooting sports for decades as both competitor and instructor. He regularly attends national firearms law seminars and conferences. He has extensive experience with criminal charges involving firearms such as illegal possession of a firearm, as well as gun rights restoration and permit to carry/permit to purchase denial challenges.
Firearms laws are complex and involve interaction between Minnesota and Federal law. The right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. In recent years the United States Supreme Court has decided a series of cases that hep define the Second Amendment and the allowable scope of state laws:
New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen (2022)
When the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct. To justify firearm regulation, the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
Caetano v. Massachusetts (2016)
The Second Amendment extends to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding, and this Second Amendment right is fully applicable to the states.
McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)
The Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment right, recognized in Heller, to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defense. In other words, the right is protected from state as well as federal interference.
District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)
The Second Amendment protects the individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
Following from these cases, both state and federal firearms statutes are under examination and subject to ongoing change.
Violating state or federal firearms laws defining gun ownership can bring harsh consequences, including fines, jail time and loss of your right to possess firearms. Having a skilled and knowledgeable attorney who practices in this area is the best way to navigate the complexities of the law and the legal system and protect your rights.