Since 1968, the federal government has barred firearm dealers from selling handguns to anyone younger than 21. Last week, a federal judge in Virginia said that rule, which applies to federally licensed dealers but does not cover private sales, is unconstitutional because "prohibitions on the rights of 18-to-20-year-olds to purchase handguns are not supported by our Nation's history and tradition."
The four plaintiffs in this case, Fraser v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, are all adults younger than 21 who either tried to buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer or said they would do so if it were allowed. They argued that the law and regulations standing in their way are inconsistent with the Second Amendment.
