DOJ Sues Minnesota Over Gun Permit Waits That Can Stretch to 60 Days

The Justice Department has reportedly filed suit against Minnesota, arguing the state's permit-to-purchase and waiting-period requirements for firearms violate the Second Amendment. If the reporting holds up, this would mark one more front in a fast-growing legal battle over how long a law-abiding buyer can be made to wait before taking possession of a gun they've already passed a background check to buy.

The short version

According to a video from Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News, the DOJ has taken legal action against Minnesota over its firearm purchase permit system and the waiting period attached to it. The channel's video description frames the core issue as Minnesota's statewide 30-day waiting period for firearm purchases, with the added wrinkle that local permit-to-purchase ordinances in Minneapolis and St. Paul can stretch the effective wait closer to 60 days once city-level paperwork and processing are factored in. The video reportedly argues that stacking a state waiting period on top of city permit requirements creates a cumulative delay that goes well beyond what the Second Amendment should tolerate for someone who has already cleared a background check.

We were not able to independently verify every detail of the filing from the available metadata alone, and the video's full argument, including which plaintiffs are involved and what remedy the DOJ is seeking, is best understood by watching the source directly. What is clear is that this fits a broader pattern: federal and state courts have been reexamining permit and waiting-period laws since the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision reset the test for firearm regulations, and Minnesota's system has been a recurring target for that kind of challenge.

Key points

• State waiting period: Minnesota reportedly imposes a 30-day waiting period on firearm purchases on top of its permit-to-purchase system.
• City add-ons: Minneapolis and St. Paul permit requirements can reportedly extend the real-world wait for a buyer to nearly 60 days.
• Federal plaintiff: The lawsuit is reportedly brought by the U.S. Department of Justice itself, not a private gun-rights group or individual buyer.
• Legal theory: The suit reportedly argues the combined permit and waiting-period structure burdens a right the Second Amendment protects for law-abiding, already-vetted buyers.
• Commentary source: The analysis comes from the Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News YouTube channel, which covers firearm law and policy developments.

Bottom line

If the DOJ is in fact challenging Minnesota's permit and waiting-period laws, it signals that federal litigation against state-level purchase delays isn't slowing down, and Minnesota gun owners should keep an eye on how this plays out before assuming the current timeline is permanent. Anyone living under a similar permit-to-purchase or waiting-period scheme elsewhere should watch this case too, since a ruling against Minnesota could become a template other challengers point to.

Summary by Firearm Discounts. Watch the full video from Jared Yanis on YouTube.