The state Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up an appeal of a case about guns and God.

The action allows to stand a ruling from February by the state Court of Appeals, which determined that forcing churches to allow guns in their parking lots or to use state-mandated language for signs forbidding firearms is an unconstitutional infringement on religious freedom.

The original ruling came from Hennepin County District Court, which allowed Edina Community Lutheran Church to legally ban guns with signs saying: "Blessed are the peacemakers. Firearms are prohibited in this place of sanctuary." Other churches may choose their own wording.

Parking lots, day-care centers and other charitable, educational and nonprofit facilities owned by churches also may continue to ban firearms because of the ruling.

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal without comment.

David Lillehaug of Fredrikson & Byron said the cases began in 2003, shortly after the so-called concealed carry law was passed. After the law was amended in 2005, the Edina church and Unity Church of St. Paul joined in a lawsuit. Unity had filed a separate lawsuit.

The law required that any organization, business or institution wanting to ban guns use specific language stating that the building operator "bans guns in these premises." It also didn't allow most property owners to ban guns from parking areas and space rented to other groups or businesses.

"Court decisions now recognize that religious institutions may ban firearms on all of their religious properties. They may notify others of the ban as they see fit, including by the use of religious language," Lillehaug said in a written statement.

The rulings didn't change most of the law's provisions, including the requirement that sheriffs issue permits to carry handguns to applicants 21 and older who receive training and pass a background check.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747