In a major win for gun rights, the SAF and its partners have successfully challenged the federal government’s prohibition on handgun sales to young adults. A three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously to overturn a lower court decision, declaring the restriction unconstitutional and remanding the case for further proceedings.
The case, Reese v. ATF, was brought by SAF along with Firearms Policy Coalition, Louisiana Shooting Association and two private citizens, Emily Naquin and Caleb Reese. The plaintiffs argued that banning law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds from purchasing handguns was a clear violation of their Second Amendment rights.
Young Adults Have Full Second Amendment Protections
Writing for the panel, Judge Edith Hollan Jones—appointed by Ronald Reagan—delivered a decisive opinion, stating that the Second Amendment applies fully to 18-to-20-year-olds and that the federal government failed to provide historical precedent justifying the ban.
“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,” Jones wrote. She further emphasized that the government’s historical arguments were weak, noting that post-founding-era laws cannot override the Constitution’s original meaning.
“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,” she continued. “In sum, 18 U.S.C. §§ 992(b)(1), (c)(1) and their attendant regulations are unconstitutional in light of our Nation’s historic tradition of firearm regulation.”
Judges Jennifer Walker Elrod (appointed by George W. Bush) and Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale (appointed by George H.W. Bush) joined in the ruling, which closely followed the legal framework established by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in 2022.
SAF Applauds Recognition of Young Adults’ Rights
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb welcomed the ruling as a critical reaffirmation of the rights of young Americans.
“We have always maintained that young adults, who can vote, join the military, get married, enter into contracts and even run for office, can also enjoy the full rights of citizenship, which includes rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb said. “If we can trust young adults to defend our country, we can certainly trust them to own any and all legal firearms.”
SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut echoed this sentiment, noting that the ruling is a commonsense recognition of the reality that constitutional rights do not start at age 21.
“Today the Fifth Circuit reaffirmed what prior courts and common sense tell us: ‘that the right to keep and bear arms surely implies the ability to purchase them,’” Kraut said. “Adults 18-20 years old are indisputably part of ‘the People,’ whose rights under the Constitution are no less than their father’s or their grandfather’s.”
A Landmark Case with National Implications
This decision is a major setback for federal gun control efforts that seek to limit access to lawful firearm purchases based on arbitrary age restrictions. It also sets an important precedent that could influence challenges to other restrictions targeting younger adults across the country and stopped dead in it’s tracks such as those passed by the Virginia Senate and reported on just today.
As Reese v. ATF heads back to the lower courts, SAF and its allies remain committed to ensuring that all law-abiding Americans, regardless of age, can exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
MAJOR 2A VICTORY JUST NOW (yesterday): FEDERAL GUN BAN OVERTURNED BY FEDERAL APPEALS COURT.
The US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, just declared the young adult handgun purchase ban is unconstitutional under 2A. Mark Smith Four Boxes Diner discussed.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VugoiurjGas
Don’t pop the cork yet, the case will probably head to the USSC. After all it takes geniuses to decide between a Constitutional Right and an agenda History Confirms is Rooted in Racism and Genocide called Gun Control.
Have you ever tried recording yourself talk and listening to it? You may lack the self awareness to modulate your message into anything useful but surely you have friends or family that can talk to people for longer than 5 minutes before being told to fuck off.
if it’s not an at- 5000 then it’s just rewinding the pearlcorder every day.
jr…A bigoted gasbag like you has no podium…You really should take up knitting.
void…If you and your mealy mouth dirty diaper Gun talking blowbag pals cannot debunk what I post then stfu and go pound sand. To date you have failed miserably and you will continue to do so because ignorance controls you. Your contribution for Protecting the 2A little man is a Flat F-ing Zero.
So you don’t? Also donated $10 to an AWB lawsuit challenge so that is $10 more to combat gun control than you ever have with your words.
Oh and it’s power and control that runs everything racism and genocide are just tools to control the retarded. You are debunked yet again you histrionic nag hag.
“Oh and it’s power and control that runs everything“
Yep, and you just handed the keys to the United States treasury to an unelected globalist from South Africa, the richest man in the world now is in control of the United States of America.
“Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say
By Tim Reid
January 31, 20255:20 PM EST
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.“
The wealthy elite billionaires now in control of America are very grateful to MAGA voters.
Are you still pretending to be relevant groomer?
Just because you change the spelling of your screen name doesn’t mean you are any more relevant, MINOR40er.
minor. Remember what you said about hunter biden? He didn’t count because he was never elected to an office.
Musk is just playing by your rules. You never complain about the money spent by soros, gates, bloomberg and the rest of your billionaires to gain advantage in our system.
What were those employees doing that required DOGE to lock them out? I’m sure there’s more to this than what your orange man bad will permit you to acknowledge.
Yes, I’m grateful to those billionaires too for creating goods and services that we use every day and for providing jobs for thousands upon thousands of people, all contributing tax revenue back. Contrary to the “billionaires don’t pay their fair share” nonsense, billionaires pay every penny the tax code demands or the IRS comes after them hard. The average billionaire pays more in taxes each year than most people earn in their lifetimes. I’m glad that people who are experienced at effectively running a company are in charge.
“Musk is just playing by your rules“
Amazing, the richest man in the world, a globalist elite billionaire from South Africa is meddling with the United States Treasury and you attempt to equate that with Hunter Biden being fucked up on dope.
Yes, these are the policies you voted for, and you’re going to get exactly what you wanted, good and hard.
miner. or should I say drama queen.
You set these rules and defended them. You.
And now you’re pissed because you’ve been defeated at your games with your rules.
hunter and his wealthy clients had access to the big guy with buckets of cash. I can give a fuck about hunter’s drug use.
Richest man in the world? Lol doubt, especially when families and institutions (see centralized banking cartels) get involved. As much as it will burn your ass this is about as close to elites of the people we are going to see. Now go spout off your next script for my amusement.
Key word here, –ADULT–
‘In other words’, not Senate Demoncrats.
Key word here, –ADULT–“
So as we are following the actual text of the constitution, would you be kind enough to point out where the word adult appears in the constitution… Thanks!
You’re right, miner. That means that children should also be able to own, purchase and carry fire arms. You’re a genius.
Keep thinking outside the box.
Bare minimum 16 and up for militia duty.
Progress! Restoring the Constitution one case at a time!
Now we just need enough momentum to start doing it by repealing laws where we can get the votes and save time/money for other lawsuits.
Two tines, one fork.
Wait until the Right figures out how to use that same basic strategy to make the Left chase it’s own tail and your ROI goes exponential.
Just got done learning how to make a fork via blacksmithing funny enough. I would add knowing how to apply heat, pressure, and direct the tines out of the way until you are done other steps and can put them in place to complete the project are all useful symbols of how to actually get things done.
That’s a pretty cool think to learn how to make.
reminds me of “when the microwavable mac and cheese hits so hard the fork becomes italian”
As long as it’s not Gramscian.
Mussolini would have done us a favor to have that jerkoff shot.
I was honestly surprised how easy but involved the process is. With that said need to get more precise with the hammer to spend less time with the grinder.
Fine work like that is interesting but not really my forte.
Now, if you want some hay forks fabbed up, that I can do.
this wasn’t a restoration. at the time of the founding there were no age restrictions whatsoever on owning weapons. it’s really none of the governments business
Every step is a restoration just as every infringement was a loss. Guess which side was patient and got shit done for over a century and why.
So, does this ruling apply only to the named plaintiffs in this case? Or does it apply to everyone in the Fifth Circuit jurisdiction?
I will take victories where I can find them.
The simultaneous willingness of the Left to take bites at the apple while the Right emotionally demands the entire thing in a single gulp has long been a weakness of the Right.
I haven’t read the article just yet, but will once lunch is ready. I just thought I’d bring up Cooper’s rules w/regards to the photo…that girl is pointing the muzzle right at that guy’s liver. At least her finger’s not on the trigger…I think…
“If we can trust young adults to defend our country, we can certainly trust them to own any and all legal firearms.”
wiylf.
or is that just being able to drink?
jr…When it comes to Defending The 2A you and your circle jerk pal void couldn’t fight your way out of a wet paper bag. In fact you two lovebirds have done more for Gun Control than you’ll ever know…Take a bow bigot.
Deb you have done more to divert support for the second amendment than Miner, and your broke ass apparently couldn’t support a tax stamp let alone a legal challenge. Take a bow swamp rat you have and will accomplish nothing beyond knitting, sorry typo meant to be nagging.
It only makes sense if we consider these people to legally be adults.
I had an assault rifle issued to me before I was legally allowed to possess a handgun (I enlisted at 17).
Ditto. Part that really pissed me off was the charade we had to play at the on base beer hall. My over 18 buddy had to order two beers and give me one. Everybody in the place knew, including the bar tender, but that was the little game we had to play.
Had a full auto m-16 but I couldn’t legally drink.
It’s only twenty seven words for a reason.