Federal Ban on Handgun Sales to Adults Under 21 Violates Constitution, Court Rules

The appeals court ruling is hailed by one gun rights advocate, who calls it a critical win ‘against an immoral and unconstitutional’ law.

A selection of pistols at a gun shop in Kittery, Maine, on Aug. 9. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

A federal appeals court ruled Jan. 30 that a decades-old government prohibition of handgun sales by licensed firearm dealers to adults under 21 is unconstitutional in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that set a higher bar for restricting Second Amendment rights.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a law barring federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to those adults violates the Second Amendment due to the law’s incompatibility with two Supreme Court rulings known as “Bruen” and “Rahimi.”