In the US, a Virginia federal judge, Robert Payne, has ruled that the law that prohibits federally authorized firearms dealers from selling guns to young people under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. In his 71-page ruling, Payne wrote that many of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are granted at age 18, including the right to vote, join the military without parental permission, and serve on a federal jury. .
“If the Court were to exclude 18- to 20-year-olds from Second Amendment protection, it would be imposing Second Amendment limitations that do not exist with other constitutional guarantees,” Payne wrote.
The Justice Department can now appeal the ruling and the case will most likely end up in the Supreme Court. Everytown Law, a gun violence prevention organization, attacked the judge’s ruling. “Not only are they the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the US, but data show that young people between the ages of 18 and 20 commit homicides at three times the rate of those over 21”. The ruling comes just after a wave of mass shootings that swept across the United States and left dozens of dead.