Updated
Jul 13, 2021 05:58 pm
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal law that for more than 50 years has banned licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults between age 18 and 21 is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
In a 2-1 opinion, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond overturned a lower court ruling upholding the law.
Judge Julius Richardson, a Trump appointee, wrote that the right to bear arms is a “cherished constitutional right” that vests at age 18.
“(W)e refuse to relegate either the Second Amendment or 18- to 20-year-olds to a second-class status,” Richardson wrote.