Judge Suspends Texas Law Banning Adults Under 21 From Carrying Handguns

Judge Suspends Texas Law Banning Adults

On Thursday, a federal judge in Fort Worth overturned a Texas law that restricted adults under 21 from carrying pistols.

Most 18 to 20-year-olds in Texas are prohibited by law from acquiring a license to carry a pistol or from doing so for self-defense outside of their homes. In order to challenge the statute, two plaintiffs who fall within that age range as well as the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc. filed a lawsuit against the state. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were unable to carry a firearm between the counties of Parker, Fannin, and Grayson, where they resided, worked, and attended school, due to Texas law.

According to U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, the Second Amendment does not include an age restriction and protects adults under the age of 21.

“The Court determines that the Second Amendment protects against this ban based on the Second Amendment’s language, as guided by Founding-Era history and tradition,” Pittman said in the decision.

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The order won’t take effect right away. In the event of an appeal, Pittman extended the stay for 30 days.

The choice was made only three months after the bloodiest school massacre in Texas, in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

In November 2021, the Firearms Policy Coalition filed the case. After the catastrophic shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa in 2019, Republican officials had promised to address gun safety. However, months later, lawmakers passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a permit or training.

Texas has experienced eight mass shootings in the last 13 years while the state’s access to firearms has increased.

An inquiry for comments on Thursday’s decision was not immediately answered by the office of Governor Greg Abbott.

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FAQs

In Texas, can someone under 21 own a handgun?

The gunman would not have been able to purchase a firearm because, according to federal law, Americans must be at least 21 years old to purchase a pistol from a licensed dealer. This overrides Texas law, which simply mandates that purchasers of any kind of handgun be 18 years of age or older.

Is open carry prohibited in Texas?

HB1927 made it acceptable for the majority of Texans age 21 or older to carry a pistol in a holster openly or covertly without a permit beginning of September 1, 2021. By removing the requirement for a license to carry, this law altered the prior open carry law from 2016.

I’m 18, can I purchase a weapon now?

A person between the ages of 18 and 21 may purchase a handgun from an unlicensed resident of the same state if they are at least 18 years old and are not otherwise barred from obtaining or having firearms under federal law.

Is a 9mm more potent than an AR-15?

The 9mm handgun is typically thought of as a reliable weapon; its bullet travels at 1,200 feet per second and generates 400 foot-pounds of kinetic force. In contrast, the typical AR-15 bullet moves at a speed of 3,251 feet per second and has a force of 1300 foot-pounds.

In Texas, is it legal for a 20-year-old to keep a firearm in their car?

Texas law generally prohibits people from openly carrying handguns while operating a motor vehicle or watercraft that they own or are in control of, unless they do so negligently, knowingly, or intentionally. Additionally, they must be at least 21 years old or possess a valid license to carry a handgun in order to do so.