Minn. group picks up road trash while packing heat

Motorists in Mendota Heights this weekend might have seen a group of residents picking up trash while packing heat.

About a dozen people spent nearly three hours picking up litter Sunday along a 2-mile stretch of highway. All legally carried guns on their hips.

It was the inaugural trash cleanup event for the group that calls itself the Minnesota Carry Permit Holders.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the group is legal, and it appreciates their efforts to keep the roadside clean.

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The group members met online and decided to get together and do something good for the community.

One member is Jason Walberg, who collected trash with a semiautomatic handgun on his belt. He jokes their adopted highway is the safest stretch of road in the state.

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Information from: [[link:http://www.twincities.com type:ext text:St. Paul Pioneer Press]]