NRA appeals to U.S. Supreme Court on FL ban of purchases of long guns by under-21-year-olds

The National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its challenge to Florida’s ban on firearm purchases by adults under 21. It’s the latest move by the gun-rights group in its four-year-battle to override the 2018 Florida law that bans 18-to-20-year-olds from purchasing long guns.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit denied the legal challenge by the NRA in March, two years after a three-judge panel similarly ruled against the organization. The Florida Legislature passed and then-Gov. Rick Scott signed the law shortly after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said after that ruling that his office would not defend the law if in fact the NRA filed an appeal with the high court.

“Notwithstanding CA11’s opinion today, I believe restricting the right of law-abiding adults to purchase firearms is unconstitutional,” Uthmeier said on X on March 14, adding that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reached the same conclusion. “Men and women old enough to fight and die for our country should be able to purchase firearms to defend themselves and their families.”

The NRA’s petition for certiorari calls upon the justices to review the split among federal circuit courts over whether adults under 21 enjoy Second Amendment rights. The Third, Fifth, and Eighth Circuits have ruled that they do, while the Tenth and Eleventh circuits have upheld laws banning firearm purchases by adults under 21.

The Florida House in March passed a bill (HB 759) that would lower the age for individuals in Florida to purchase shotguns and rifles from 21 to 18. It was the third straight year the chamber has done so, but both times the legislation failed to be come law because the proposal never moved in the Florida Senate.

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Mitch Perry reporting via Florida Phoenix, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected].