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Gun Activists Take Aim At The Mall Of America
Posted: 02/23/15 13:18 EST
Somalia-based terrorist group Al Shabab issued a video Sunday threatening to bomb the Mall of America, along with other shopping malls in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Now some politicians and pro-gun activists are lashing out at the Mall of America’s policy against carrying guns, arguing that citizens must legally be able to self-defend as they shop.
Republican Minnesota state Rep. Tony Cornish said the ban on guns at the Mall of America creates a “killing zone.” Plus, he argues, the mall actually has “no standing” against Minnesota state law.
According to Minnesota law, property owners can “make a reasonable request that firearms not be brought into the establishment” and ask people to leave their property if they insist on carrying a gun. They can do so in person, or by hanging a sign to that effect, according to statute 624.17. If the gun carriers don’t leave, they can be hit with a fine that “must not exceed $25"—less than most parking tickets. Property owners cannot legally take away people’s guns (and would be ill-advised to try).
The question of packing heat in the mall comes down to interpretation of the law. Bryan Strawser, executive director of Minnesota Gun Owners PAC, was quoted in a Facebook post saying that 624.17 prohibits a landlord from interfering with guests carrying a firearm. Subsection 17(e) of 624.17 does state: “A landlord may not restrict the lawful carry or possession of firearms by tenants or their guests.”
The PAC claims that the Mall of America, as a landlord, can’t enforce the signs. That would fall to the individual tenants, or store owners. “The Mall of America is well-aware that as landlords they cannot ban lawful carry,” the post says. “Carrying at the Mall of America does not violate the law, only the mall’s wishes.”
Ultimately, this could come down to the terms of individual leases and how “guests” at the mall are legally defined, but there’s plenty of room for shouting on either side of the argument.
Despite the pro-gun backlash, the Mall of America is standing firm. Its official account tweeted that the rule is clearly written on every door—a reaction to a person tweeting enthusiastically that she was planning on breaking out her concealed-carry permits to head to the mall:
The number of registered carry permits in Minnesota has steadily increased every month since the end of 2003, when the permit application process in the state changed from the discretionary “may issue” to the absolute “shall issue” as part of Laws of Minnesota 2003, Chapter 28, Article 2. That means all applicants who fit the minimum requirements for carrying a weapon must be issued a permit as an absolute, and law enforcement is awarded no discretionary provision.
Firearm permits issued to Minnesotans have increased by more than 600 percent since February 2005, according to numbers from the Minnesota Association of Defensive Firearm Instructors.
