Banning gun sales to young American adults under 21 is unconstitutional, judge rules

FILE – Displayed is a Glock 17 pistol fitted a with a cable style gun lock in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. The ruling Wednesday, May 11, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Payne in Richmond, if not overturned, would prevent dealers from selling handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. The ruling came Wednesday. It would allow dealers to sell handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds. Four plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the 1968 law and associated regulations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after they were turned down when they tried to buy handguns. Wednesday’s ruling is the latest decision striking down gun laws in the wake of a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling. That ruling changed the test courts have long used to evaluate challenges to firearm restrictions.