A US District Court judge has said that federal laws which stop licensed gun dealers from selling handguns to people under 21 are unconstitutional. The judge, Robert Payne, said that anyone over 18 should have the right to buy a handgun. The case was brought by four men who were over 18 but under the age of 21 when they wanted to buy handguns. Although Americans under the age of 21 can’t buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, they can buy a rifle or shotgun.
Payne cited a recent Supreme Court decision that expanded the rights of gun owners and the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Despite this, Everytown Law, a gun violence prevention organization, denounced the judge’s ruling, saying that not only are guns the leading cause of death for US kids and teens, but research shows us that 18- to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 years and older.
The case may end up going to the Supreme Court, which has become more conservative since former Republican president Donald Trump named three justices. This ruling comes at a time when there have been several mass shootings in the United States, and President Joe Biden is trying to convince Congress to ban semi-automatic rifles frequently used in these attacks. In 2021, more than 47,000 people were killed by guns in the United States, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
