DOJ: Young Adults Can Buy Handguns

DOJ: Young Adults Can Buy Handguns

The Justice Department on Friday declared unconstitutional the federal ban on licensed dealers selling handguns to adults ages 18 to 20, saying it cannot be criminally enforced under the Second Amendment.

The Office of Legal Counsel opinion said federal criminal penalties may not be imposed on dealers who sell handguns to law-abiding young adults, though more than a dozen states have their own age restrictions that they can still enforce.

The DOJ concluded that 18-to-20-year-olds are among those protected by the Second Amendment and found no Founding-era tradition of barring legal adults from purchasing firearms, noting that militia laws at the Founding required service beginning at age 18.