Supreme Court
Texas ban lifted allowing 18-20 year olds to carry handguns
In his ruling, the Texas judge granted adults under the age of 21 the right to carry handguns
© Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto / Picture Alliance
In the US state of Texas, a judge has overturned a previously applicable gun ban for young adults under the age of 21. In June, the Supreme Court provided the basis for this with a decision to expand gun rights.
In Texas, 18-20 year olds are now allowed to carry handguns. A judge lifted a previous ban in the US state on Thursday. In his ruling, he referred to the second amendment of the US Constitution, which does not specify an age limit for adults under 21 years of age.
It is the first major judicial decision of its kind since the Supreme Court’s decision in June, the Guardian wrote. He had ruled that the Second Amendment to the Constitution gave everyone an individual right to carry weapons in public for self-defense. In addition, state courts would need to consider the historical context of the Second Amendment when making decisions on gun rights restrictions. A regulation is constitutional only if it resembles those in the 18th century when the Amendment was ratified.
Texas: Judge refers to Supreme Court for decision
The judge in Texas repeatedly cited the decision of the Supreme Court in his verdict. There was no historical basis in the Second Amendment for restricting 18-20 year olds from carrying handguns in public, he ruled — declaring the ban unconstitutional. It was challenged back in 2021 by the Firearms Policy Coalition, a non-profit organization working to expand gun rights.
Jonathan Lowy told ABC News that the Supreme Court’s decision essentially invited representatives of the gun lobby to appeal against every gun law in the United States. He is the chief legal officer and vice president of the non-profit organization Brady, which campaigns for more gun control. The “Firearms Policy Coalition” has already announced that it will also take action against similar age-related restrictions for young adults in the US states of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois, Minnesota, California and Georgia.
In the United States there are repeated shootings with numerous dead and injured. Also in Texas in May this year, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in the town of Uvalde. He had used a long gun – which young adults aged 18 and over in Texas were allowed to own before the judge’s current decision.
Sources: The Guardians, Texas Tribune, ABC News