A Virginia judge has declared federal laws prohibiting the sale of guns to those under 21 unconstitutional, saying anyone over 18 should be able to do so. Robert Payne delivered the ruling in a case brought by four boys who were over 18 but under 21 when they wanted to buy guns. Under federal law, parents can buy guns for their children or, this is the bizarre detail, children under 21 can buy a shotgun.
In the ruling, the judge cited a recent Supreme Court decision that expanded the right to own guns and the second amendment to the US Constitution. 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 case could end up in the Supreme Court and comes just after a wave of mass shootings that has swept across the United States and left dozens dead. In 2021, more than 47,000 people were killed by firearms in the United States.