Judge says that restricting handgun sales due to age is “unconstitutional.”
The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia ruled Tuesday that the 1968 law signed by President Johnson that banned selling handguns to those under the age of 21 violates the Second Amendment. That same law also permitted the sale of shotguns and rifles to the same demographic, which the presiding judge described as inconsistent and arbitrary.
In the ruling, Judge Julias Richardson wrote, “Congress used disproportionate crime rates to craft overinclusive laws that restrict the rights of overwhelmingly law-abiding citizens. And in doing so, Congress focused on purchases from licensed dealers without establishing those dealers as the source of the guns 18- to 20-year-olds use to commit crimes. So we hold that the challenged federal laws and regulations are unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.”
The judge added, “Despite the weighty interest in reducing crime and violence, we refuse to relegate either the Second Amendment or 18- to 20-year-olds to a second-class status.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Judge Richardson and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals as they hear and decide cases.
- For the president’s administration as gun control measures continue to be considered.
- For the Supreme Court as they address cases regarding Second Amendment rights.
Sources: USA Today, Townhall
