4th Circuit Upholds Federal Ban on Handgun Sales to 18-20-Year-Olds

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the federal law banning handgun sales by licensed dealers to adults under 21, affirming that the restriction is constitutionally valid despite challenges from young adults claiming Second Amendment violations. The court's majority opinion, authored by Judge Harvie Wilkinson, cited historical precedents including English common law and early American regulations that supported age-based restrictions on firearm sales. The decision reversed prior rulings that had found the ban unconstitutional, emphasizing that the law does not prevent possession or private purchase of handguns by 18- to 20-year-olds but only restricts sales through licensed dealers. Judge Toby Heytens concurred, while Judge Marvin Quattlebaum dissented, acknowledging the policy rationale behind the ban but emphasizing judicial roles in interpreting, not making, policy. This ruling diverges from other circuits and is likely to prompt a Supreme Court review to resolve the conflicting interpretations of young adults' constitutional rights to purchase handguns. The court also referenced the 1968 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act and recent Supreme Court precedents such as Bruen in affirming that the regulation aligns with historical traditions and contemporary legislative judgments on firearm access and public safety.