On August 17, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that off-duty police officers can be barred from carrying guns into NFL football games played by the Minnesota Vikings and the University of Minnesota at the U of M stadium.
The Vikings currently use the U of M stadium during construction of a new stadium for the NFL team.
On October 7, 2013, Breitbart News reported that the NFL put a ban on off-duty officers carrying guns into games. And although officers normally carry at all times, the NFL said that police not specifically assigned to work the game are not allowed to carry their guns.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) challenged the NFL rule, claiming it violated Minnesota’s Personal Protect Act and put officers’ lives in danger. Ironically, the NFL’s gun ban does not apply when the Dallas Cowboys play at home or when the Houston Texans play at home because Texas state law requires officers to be armed 24/7—on or off duty.
A Hennepin County district judge in Minnesota likewise ruled previously that Minnesota state law dictates that off-duty Minnesota officers cannot be barred from carrying guns to Vikings and U of M games. But WDAY 6 reports that the Minnesota Court of Appeals overturned his ruling on Monday.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the officers can be barred from carrying at the stadium while the Vikings play there, but they made no pronouncement of what will happen upon completion of the Vikings’ new TCF Bank Stadium. Instead, they asked the district court to consider anew if off-duty officers can be barred from carrying in the new stadium.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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