Federal appeals court strikes down ban on handgun sales to teens

The repealed regulation keeping teens from buying guns originated in 1968.

ByDevin Dwyer ABCNews logo
Friday, January 31, 2025
Federal appeals court strikes down ban on handgun sales to teens
Can 18-year-olds buy handguns now? A federal appeals court on Thursday struck down a landmark gun control regulation in place since 1968.

A federal appeals court on Thursday struck down a longstanding federal ban that prevented the sale of handguns to Americans between the ages of 18 and 20 - a landmark gun control regulation in place since 1968.

The conservative Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the federal law banning handgun sales to teens is inconsistent with the nation's historical tradition and violates the Second Amendment.

The decision cited the Supreme Court's 2022 opinion by Clarence Thomas in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which significantly expanded gun rights and threatens to rollback other gun safety laws nationwide.

"Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen-to-twenty-year-old individuals among 'the people' whose right to keep and bear arms is protected," the court wrote in its opinion statement.

The statement went on, "The federal government has presented scant evidence that eighteen-to-twenty-year-olds firearm rights during the founding-era were restricted in a similar manner to the contemporary federal handgun purchase ban, and its 19th century evidence 'cannot provide much insight into the meaning of the Second Amendment when it contradicts earlier evidence.'"

The immediate nationwide impact of the ruling is unclear. The case is almost certainly bound for the Supreme Court.

Handguns have been the most commonly used weapons in murders and mass shootings for decades in the United States, according to government data analyzed by The Violence Project.

Last term, the Supreme Court upheld a longstanding federal law prohibiting the possession of firearms by people under domestic violence restraining orders.

In the next few weeks, it will consider whether gun manufacturers can be held liable for violent crimes perpetrated by criminals who easily get the weapons.

The Illinois State Rifle Association was glad to hear the news Friday.

"When you're 18 years old you can get married... you're welcome to go to the army or fight for your country... there's no reason why you can't buy a firearm," Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said.

Meanwhile, gun control activists are worried about the impact from the ruling.

"This decision opens up an entire new pool of people that gun traffickers will exploit... you have 18-year-olds with no criminal record who will be asked and paid to make straw purchases," Safe Storage Saves Life founder Ashbey Beasley said.

Beasley said this may also have a detrimental effect on school shootings as well as suicide rates among teens with the eased access to handguns.

The Illinois State Rifle Association said more work needs to be done with mental health resources.

"The 18 and 20-year-olds that do these shootings are mentally deficient... have mental problems... they're bent on doing criminal activities," Pearson said.

"Anytime we get a ruling like this it's really disappointing, but we are hoping it will be upheld," Beasley said.

ABC7 Chicago's Maher Kawash contributed to this report.

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