NRA says new ruling bolsters challenge to under-21 gun sales ban
Tallahassee, FL – A recent court ruling in Louisiana has strengthened the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) argument against Florida’s law that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and shotguns.
A federal appeals court in Louisiana ruled last week that a decades-old federal ban on selling handguns to people under 21 violates the Second Amendment. The NRA is citing this ruling in its constitutional challenge to Florida’s measure, which was passed in response to the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The key question in the case is how the US Supreme Court’s decisions on gun laws should be applied to bans on gun sales to people under 21. In 2022, the Supreme Court established that gun laws must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” The NRA is arguing that Florida’s ban is inconsistent with this tradition and therefore unconstitutional.
According to John Parker Sweeney, an attorney for the NRA, the Louisiana ruling “makes clear that Florida’s ban is inconsistent with historical tradition.” The NRA has filed a document with the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, citing the Louisiana ruling as evidence that the Florida law is unconstitutional.
Florida’s attorney, Christopher Baum, disputed the NRA’s arguments in a filing Tuesday, saying that the state law is “fully consistent with the common law at the founding, which prohibited minors in most instances from purchasing firearms.” Baum argued that the law does not prohibit people under 21 from owning rifles and other long guns, only from buying them.
Florida’s law has been challenged in court since 2018
The NRA filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law soon after it was passed, and a federal district court judge upheld the age restriction. A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld the law, but the full court has now taken up the issue.
The case is ongoing, with the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set to issue an opinion in the near future.
Conclusion
The NRA’s challenge to Florida’s under-21 gun sales ban has been bolstered by a recent court ruling in Louisiana. The case is ongoing, with the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set to issue an opinion in the near future.
FAQs
Q: What is the issue with Florida’s under-21 gun sales ban?
A: The NRA argues that the law is unconstitutional because it is not consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
Q: What is the basis for the NRA’s challenge?
A: The NRA is citing a recent court ruling in Louisiana that struck down a federal ban on selling handguns to people under 21, citing the Second Amendment.
Q: Has the NRA been successful in its challenge?
A: Not yet. The case is ongoing, with the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set to issue an opinion in the near future.
