In the heart of Minnesota’s escalating ICE protests, a bold sight has emerged: demonstrators openly carrying rifles slung across their shoulders, turning what could have been standard street theater into a stark display of Second Amendment exercise. While anti-ICE crowds typically wave signs and chant slogans, this armed contingent—spotted in recent clashes near federal facilities—has sparked heated debate. Minnesota’s permitless carry law, effective since 2023, explicitly allows open carry of handguns and long guns for those 21 and older (18 for long guns) without a permit, as long as they’re not prohibited persons. No local ordinances in the protest hotspots like Minneapolis override this statewide green light, meaning these protesters are likely square within the law, even if their politics clash with the pro-2A crowd.

What’s fascinating here isn’t just the optics—left-leaning activists wielding ARs in a state once synonymous with progressive gun control—but the unintended irony for the gun rights community. For years, 2A advocates have championed permitless carry precisely to democratize self-defense, arguing it levels the playing field against both criminals and overreaching government. Now, the chickens have come home to roost: the same laws conservatives fought for in St. Paul are empowering protesters who might otherwise decry gun violence on X. This isn’t hypocrisy; it’s the beauty of constitutional carry in action. It forces everyone to confront the reality that rights aren’t partisan—they apply to ICE opponents chanting abolish just as they do to hunters in the Boundary Waters or suburban dads at the range.

The implications for the 2A community are profound. First, it neutralizes anti-gunner arguments about arming extremists—if open carry is kosher for Black Lives Matter-aligned crowds or anti-federal protesters, the slippery slope to confiscation crumbles. Second, it spotlights selective outrage: expect crickets from media outlets that hyperventilated over January 6 rifles but ignore these. Finally, it’s a rallying cry—permitless carry works, exposing threats like Antifa without selective disarmament. Gun owners should cheer this: every legal carrier, regardless of ideology, reinforces the precedent. Minnesota’s streets are proving what we’ve always known: an armed populace isn’t a threat; it’s the ultimate check on power. Stay vigilant, 2A fam—this is your law shining in unexpected places.