This is the first significant gun decision since June, when the Supreme Court confirmed the public right to bear firearms.
An American federal judge declared unconstitutional a Texas law prohibiting handgun ownership by anyone younger than 21. He also ruled that the Second Amendment cannot be applied to any person under 21.
The US District Court in Fort Worth, Texas Judge Mark Pittman ruled on Thursday that the prohibition against handguns, previously making it illegal for teenagers 18-20 to have guns outside their homes, was repealed.
“The undisputed historical evidence establishes that 18-to-20-year-olds were understood to be a part of the militia in the Founding Era,”Referring to Constitutional language, the judge stated.
Two plaintiffs, supported by the Firearms Policy Coalition and a group representing gun rights, challenged the restriction last year. They argued that the law was in violation of the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to keep or bear arms.
While the Texas attorney general’s office attempted to argue there was some historical precedent for restricting who may carry guns based on their age, the judge disagreed. The Firearms Policy Coalition has not yet heard from either Texas Governor Greg Abbott or Attorney General Ken Paxton about the decision. “significant victory.”
Pittman repeatedly mentioned a June Supreme Court case that confirmed self-defense. This case was a result of a New York law that required residents to show proof they have a firearm. “proper cause”Justices eventually sided with the plaintiffs and struck down the ban on handguns being carried outside their property.
After US legislators passed the largest gun control bill in almost 30 years late in June, the latest Texas decision was made. This legislation itself was inspired in part by the recent mass shootings that occurred in New York and Texas earlier this year. The Bipartisan Safer Community Act was a bill that expanded background checks on gun buyers and allocated funds for mental health services. It also aimed at closing loopholes that could prevent domestic abusers obtaining guns.
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