Appeals court strikes down handgun ban for teens

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The conservative U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a ban on the sales of handguns to people age 18 to 20 that had been on the books since 1968.

The court ruled on Thursday said that the 50-year-plus law violated the Constitution's Second Amendment and did not meet the country's historical traditions of gun ownership.

The court leaned on the opinion of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the 2022 New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs. Bruen. That high court ruling expanded gun rights and hinted at rejecting other gun safety laws on the books.

While the government said that handguns have been the weapon of choice for murders and mass shootings for years, the appeals court said it did not amount to a need to carve out the restriction for that specific age group.

What was not clear was how the court ruling from the New Orleans appeals would affect the rest of the states it covers and where it would stand if appealed to the Supreme Court. The decision left gun dealers who are looking at a potential new market still leery until the high court has its say.

The Supreme Court did surprise Second Amendment advocates when it allowed an established federal law that prohibits those under domestic restraining orders from possessing firearms to stand during its last term.