A massive coalition of gun rights advocates is pushing back against Massachusetts laws that stop adults under 21 from owning handguns. On Monday, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and several partners filed new legal documents in the case of Escher v. Noble, arguing that the state’s restrictions on 18-to-20-year-olds are unconstitutional.
At the center of the fight is how Massachusetts hands out gun licenses. To buy or own a gun in the state, you need a license. While older adults can apply for a license to carry, adults aged 18 to 20 can only get a firearm identification card.
Even with this card, they are strictly limited to buying specific rifles and shotguns that aren’t semi-automatic or “large capacity.” Handguns are completely off the table for them.
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The groups suing the state argue that history is on their side. Bill Sack, the SAF Director of Legal Operations, made it clear that these restrictions don’t fit with American history.
“There is no historical tradition of stripping certain adults of their gun rights because of their age,” Sack said. “And, as we point out in our brief, at the time of the Founding, citizens in this age group were not only allowed to own guns but were required to. At minimum, all adults under 21 are part of ‘the People’ contemplated by the Second Amendment and therefore have every right to purchase, carry and possess firearms.”
This lawsuit isn’t a solo effort. The SAF is working alongside the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners’ Action League, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Firearms Policy Coalition, Gun Owners of America, and private citizen Mack Escher.
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Alan M. Gottlieb, the founder of SAF, explained that this case is part of a bigger picture. He believes that once you turn 18, you shouldn’t have to wait to get your full rights.
“We have numerous lawsuits across the nation challenging laws that hinder adults between 18-20 years old from purchasing or possessing firearms,” Gottlieb said. “You simply cannot ban adults from exercising their Second Amendment rights because of their age. If you’re 18 or older you’re considered an adult as a matter of law, so why then is the Second Amendment treated as a second-class right for this subset of adults?”
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