Minnesota Supreme Court: Vehicle interior is a ‘public place’ if driven on public roads
The case of a BB gun under a driver’s seat led the courts to consider whether the interior of a privately owned vehicle is a public place when driven on public property.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the interior of a vehicle is a “public place” if it is driven on public roads, in a case involving a criminal charge over a BB gun found under a driver’s seat.
In May 2022, Kyaw Be Bee of St. Paul was charged with carrying a BB gun in a public place, a gross misdemeanor, after a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy arrested him on suspicion of stealing a catalytic converter. Bee, 36, had a revoked drivers license and when the deputy searched the car, a BB gun was found under the front seat. Bee was charged because he “did not have a permit to carry a firearm in public.”
The case was initially dismissed in Ramsey County District Court due to lack of probable cause when Judge Leonardo Castro ruled that state law did not clearly define the interior of a privately owned car as a public place. A Minnesota Court of Appeals panel reversed that decision. Bee appealed to the state Supreme Court which agreed with the Court of Appeals.
