The Minnesota Supreme Court considered the legality of unserialized firearms for state residents and returned an interesting ruling.
On Wednesday, the high court determined in State v. Vagle that the lack of a federal prohibition on such weapons meant Minnesota citizens may possess these items freely.
Defendant was charged with having an unserialized firearm after an auto accident
The novel case began in February 2022 in Fridley when a driver, Logan Vagle, suffered a rollover accident. The state trooper who worked the crash scene observed a gun magazine in the vehicle, and the driver told him he had a pistol but not a permit to carry it.
Prosecutors charged Vagle with carrying a pistol without a permit and having a firearm lacking a serial number.
The defendant won the first round when the Anoka County District Court dismissed the charges related to the engraving. However, the Minnesota Court of Appeals determined that possessing the gun violated state law.
The lack of federal prohibition swayed the justices
Now, with a 4-2 vote, the Minnesota Supreme Court sided with Vagle in his suit against the state. Justice Paul Thissen explained the majority’s reasoning. “Because federal law does not require a serial number on the firearm that Vagle possessed, we reverse.”
Thissen noted that Minnesota lacks an “independent firearm serial number regime,” and there is no federal law on the particular weapon found in the vehicle.
The defendant is still on the hook for having a handgun without the necessary permit.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus proclaimed on X that the ramifications of the decision will be felt by many. “This case will have broad implications for dozens of prosecutions across the state where individuals have been charged with felony crimes for possessing a personally manufactured firearm without a serial number.”
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