A U.S. appeals court has ruled against a federal law that required young adults to be 21 to buy handguns, finding that it violated the Second Amendment. The ruling, made by a panel of three judges on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, stated that individuals aged 18 to 20 should not be prohibited from purchasing guns as they are among ‘the people’ protected by the Second Amendment. This decision follows a Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights in 2022, causing major shifts in the national firearm legal landscape.
The Biden administration had fought against similar rulings in states like Minnesota, Virginia, and Texas, but it is uncertain how the Trump administration might proceed. The Supreme Court upheld a federal gun law last year, intended to protect victims of domestic violence, despite overturning a different ruling from the 5th Circuit. Groups challenging the age restriction on gun purchases included the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Louisiana Shooting Association.
Federal law currently requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer and 18 to buy a long gun from a dealer. There is an 18-year-old minimum for handgun purchases from unlicensed sellers and no minimum age for long guns. The Giffords Law Center criticized the court’s decision as reckless and argued that age restrictions help prevent violence. Overall, the debate over gun control laws and Second Amendment rights continues to be a contentious issue in the U.S.
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