McCoy v. Jacobson

CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedSeptember 11, 2025
Docket0:25-cv-00054
StatusUnknown

This text of McCoy v. Jacobson (McCoy v. Jacobson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCoy v. Jacobson, (mnd 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA JEFFREY M. JOHNSON, SR., Civil No. 25-54 (JRT/DTS) Plaintiff,

v. MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER BOB JACOBSON, GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS Defendant.

Duncan James Crim, LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER, 970 Pine Road, Carlisle, PA 17015; Kelly J. Keegan, KEEGAN LAW OFFICE, 1622 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408; and Ryan Morrison, LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER, 7500 Rialto Boulevard, Suite 1-250, Austin, TX 78725, for Plaintiff.

Amanda E. Prutzman, Elizabeth C. Kramer, and Madeleine DeMeules, OFFICE OF THE MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 600, Saint Paul, MN 55101, for Defendant.

Plaintiff Jeffrey M. Johnson, Sr., a professional truck driver from Georgia, challenges Minnesota’s refusal to recognize firearm permits lawfully issued by all other states, which he alleges violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Under Minnesota law, people in Minnesota cannot lawfully carry a firearm without a Minnesota permit or a permit from one of the 33 states to which Minnesota currently grants reciprocity. Johnson has permits from states that are not granted reciprocity in Minnesota. Defendant Bob Jacobson, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (“the Commissioner”), moves to dismiss, arguing that Johnson lacks standing and that Minnesota’s permitting regime and reciprocity provision are in any event constitutional. The Court concludes that Johnson has Article III standing. But pursuant to

Bruen’s two-step test, the Court finds that Minnesota’s permitting regime and reciprocity provision are constitutional. Accordingly, the Court will grant the Commissioner’s motion to dismiss and dismiss this action with prejudice.

BACKGROUND I. FACTS A. Minnesota’s Firearm Permitting Regime Under Minnesota Law, a person who “carries, holds, or possesses a pistol in a motor vehicle, snowmobile, or boat, or on or about the person’s clothes or the person, or otherwise in possession or control in a public place” must have a Minnesota permit to

carry or a permit issued by a state for which Minnesota has granted reciprocity. Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subds. 1a, 16. Failure to abide by this law may result in a gross misdemeanor or a felony. Id. § 624.714, subd. 1a.

Minnesota residents and non-residents may apply for a Minnesota permit to carry. Id. § 624.714, subd. 2(a). Applications cost up to $100 and must be submitted in person. Id. § 624.714, subd. 3(e)–(f). Minnesota’s permitting regime dictates that Minnesota “shall issue” a permit if the applicant: (1) has pistol safety training; (2) is at least 21 years

old and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; (3) completes the application; (4) is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law; and (5) is not listed in the criminal gang database. Id. § 624.714 subd. 2(b). A permit may also be denied if there is a substantial likelihood that the applicant poses a danger to themselves or others. Id. § 624.714 subds. 2(b), 6(a). Applications for permits to carry must be granted or denied

within 30 days, or else they will automatically be issued. Id. § 624.714 subd. 6(a)–(b). Approved applicants receive a laminated permit by mail or personal delivery. Id. § 624.714 subd. 6(c). Permits are valid for five years and may be renewed through the same process. Id. § 624.714, subd. 7(c).

Minnesota recognizes firearm permits from states that have similar licensing standards. Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 16(a). States that the Commissioner determines do not have similar licensing standards similar to Minnesota’s—and therefore do not have

reciprocity—are annually published in a list, which can be found on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s website. A person with a lawfully issued permit from any state that is granted reciprocity by the Commissioner may lawfully use their permit in Minnesota. Id.

As of August 2025, Minnesota grants reciprocity to 33 states.1 Fifteen states are not currently granted reciprocity because their permitting regimes are dissimilar from Minnesota’s; Florida and Georgia are among them.2

1 See Permit to Carry Reciprocity, Minnesota Dep’t of Pub. Safety, https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/public-services/firearms-information/permit-carry-reciprocity (last visited Aug. 12, 2025) [https://perma.cc/6SJZ-XCFU]. 2 Unlike the other 49 states, Vermont does not require a permit to carry. A person without a Minnesota permit to carry or a permit from a state granted reciprocity can still lawfully “transport a pistol in a motor vehicle . . . if the pistol is

unloaded, contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, or securely tied package.” Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 9(5). B. Johnson’s Alleged Injury Johnson, a resident of Georgia, is a professional truck driver who delivers goods

throughout the 48 contiguous states. (Compl. ¶¶ 9, 42, Jan. 7, 2025, Docket No. 1.) He is also a gun owner and possesses current, valid licenses to carry from Florida and Georgia. (Id. ¶ 43.) Given the prevalence of violent crimes against truckers, Johnson fears for his safety on the job. (Id. ¶ 60.) As a result, he “regularly carries his firearm for self-defense,

defense of his home, defense of others, and defense of his cargo.” (Id. ¶ 48.) Johnson is a law-abiding citizen with no history of violent behavior and is not otherwise disqualified from obtaining a Minnesota permit to carry. (Id. ¶ 50.)

Nonetheless, Minnesota does not recognize Johnson’s permits to carry from Florida or Georgia. (Id. ¶¶ 51, 61.) When traveling through Minnesota, he securely stores his firearm in his truck in accordance with Minnesota law. (Id. ¶ 53.) Johnson’s profession requires constant travel between states, such that he only

returns to his home state “a few times a year.” (Id. ¶ 58.) Because his delivery schedule changes every day at his employer’s discretion and is only provided to him after he finishes a delivery, Johnson does not know when his work schedule will take him to or through Minnesota. (Id.) However, Johnson alleges that his work includes “several trips to and through Minnesota” each year. (Id. ¶ 42, 54.)

Because of Minnesota’s firearm permitting regime, Johnson alleges he is forced to either forfeit his right to bear arms or violate Minnesota Law to protect himself or others when traveling to or through Minnesota. (Id. ¶ 65.) He further claims that if he is forced to violate Minnesota law, he faces a threat of credible prosecution, jeopardizing his

Transportation Workers Identification Credential upon a misdemeanor or felony conviction. (Id. ¶ 57.) Johnson alleges it is “too costly, time consuming, and burdensome . . . to obtain a firearm permit from all contiguous states,” let alone “afford

the cost of firearm permit fees in every state.” (Id. ¶ 62.) II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Johnson and another plaintiff, David A. McCoy II, initiated this action against the Commissioner on January 7, 2025, alleging that Minnesota’s refusal to recognize firearm

permits from all other states violates the Second Amendment. (Compl. ¶¶ 76–88.) The Commissioner moved to dismiss. (Mot. Dismiss, Feb. 18, 2025, Docket No. 12.) McCoy later filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of his claim.3 (Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, July 3, 2025, Docket No. 31.)

3 McCoy’s Texas permit is now granted reciprocity in Minnesota. DISCUSSION I. STANDARD OF REVIEW In reviewing a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the

Court considers all facts alleged in the complaint as true to determine if the complaint states a “claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Braden v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 588 F.3d 585

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Konigsberg v. State Bar of Cal.
366 U.S. 36 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Papasan v. Allain
478 U.S. 265 (Supreme Court, 1986)
FW/PBS, Inc. v. City of Dallas
493 U.S. 215 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Lujan v. National Wildlife Federation
497 U.S. 871 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife
504 U.S. 555 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
District of Columbia v. Heller
554 U.S. 570 (Supreme Court, 2008)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
McDonald v. City of Chicago
561 U.S. 742 (Supreme Court, 2010)
Porous Media Corporation v. Pall Corporation
186 F.3d 1077 (Eighth Circuit, 1999)
Ashley County, Ark. v. Pfizer, Inc.
552 F.3d 659 (Eighth Circuit, 2009)
Braden v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
588 F.3d 585 (Eighth Circuit, 2009)
Kevin Schriener v. Quicken Loans, Inc.
774 F.3d 442 (Eighth Circuit, 2014)
Republican Party v. Amy Klobuchar
381 F.3d 785 (Eighth Circuit, 2004)
Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins
578 U.S. 330 (Supreme Court, 2016)
Doe v. Reed
177 L. Ed. 2d 493 (Supreme Court, 2010)
McRorey v. Garland
99 F.4th 831 (Fifth Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Echo Scheidt
103 F.4th 1281 (Seventh Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Rahimi
602 U.S. 680 (Supreme Court, 2024)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
McCoy v. Jacobson, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccoy-v-jacobson-mnd-2025.