The court’s opinion was targeted at a specific state statute. Legal experts say that doesn’t mean the definition can’t have wide-ranging impact.

On Wednesday, the state's high court determined, "The inside of a car is a public place — as long as it's on a public road."

ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the inside of a motor vehicle on public roadways is a public space. The ruling comes almost three years after a man was pulled over, at which time a deputy found a BB gun under the driver's seat. The man did not have a permit to carry, and was charged with carrying a firearm in a public place.

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.