Minnesota Second Amendment Advocate Is Right: Our Opponents Want Us to Despair

Minnesota Second Amendment advocates are in for a tough fight now that Democrats have captured both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. We spoke about the challenges of the upcoming session earlier this week with Anna Leamy, the director of government relations for the MN Gun Owners Caucus, and she laid out a long list of anti-gun legislation she expects to see filed ahead of the 2027 session. 

MN Gun Owners Caucus chair Bryan Strawser has some advice for gun owners in the state, and I think it applies to all those living in places where Democrats now have complete control of state government: do not despair. 

I understand the feeling. On January 12, the DFL takes control of the House, the Senate, and the governor’s office. The Governor-elect has already said last year’s gun ban “is going to get passed.”

But I don’t lead with despair. I lead with hope. I think of myself as a happy warrior, and I want to tell you why you should be one too.

We’ve been here before, and we won

Look at the record. In 2025, not one gun control bill passed. In 2026, a gun ban passed the Senate by a single vote and never got a House vote. When the Legislature buried a binary trigger ban in a 1,400-page tax bill, we took it to court and won, and that ruling is final. When the State told adults 18 to 20 they couldn’t carry, we sued and won all the way to the Supreme Court.

None of that happened because the odds were in our favor. It happened because Minnesota gun owners showed up.

Despair is exactly what they want

Every gun owner who gives up is one less phone call to a legislator, one less person in a hearing room, one less voter in 2028. The people who want to ban your rifle are counting on you to look at the numbers, decide it’s hopeless, and stay home.

Don’t give them that.

Strawser admits that the caucus is going to lose at the state capitol, but says that's not the only battleground. The MN Gun Owners Law Center is ready to file suit over new gun control legislation, including any ill-conceived semi-auto ban that's approved ahead of the Supreme Court's decision in Virmamontes next year. 

When Virginia flipped to a Democrat trifecta in the 2025 elections, I heard the same despair and frustration from a lot of friends and neighbors. And while we weren't able to stop a dozen or so gun control bills from being signed into law, Second Amendment advocates and groups ranging from national organizations like NRA and GOA to state-based groups like Virginia Citizens Defense League and Virginia Shooting Sports Association were able to secure an injunction that prevents the new "assault firearm ban" from being enforced. 

Since the Heller decision in 2008, Second Amendment advocates have gained a lot of ground. We've seen a majority of states adopt permitless carry, the demise of discretionary "shall issue" regimes and some "gun-free zones," the expansion of campus carry, and numerous other victories. 

After Democrats (and the gun control lobby) enjoyed their best midterm performance in 50 years, victories are going to be harder to come by in some states and on Capitol Hill. We're going to be playing defense more than we've had to in the recent past. That doesn't mean we should give up the fight. It's time to redouble our efforts. 

Democrats didn't win because of gun control, and their attacks on the Second Amendment may very well turn out to be the quickest way for pro-Second Amendment candidates to regain lost ground in 2028.  

Strawser says that he's seen bad sessions and good ones, and he's learned an important lesson over the years: the outcome is never decided on Election Day. It’s decided by who shows up afterward.

I’m showing up. The Caucus is showing up. Win or lose at the Capitol, we will never stop fighting, in the Legislature, in the courts, and at the ballot box. I’m asking you to show up with us.

Now is not the time to sit down on the couch and throw up our hands in defeat. As Strawser says, it's time to show up, to stand up, and to speak out in defense of our right to keep and bear arms. 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun-grabbing schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.