Texas will fight to block 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns

(Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune)

Texas is gearing up to fight a judge’s ruling that the state can’t ban adults under 21 from carrying handguns, a surprising move that’s drawing anger from some gun rights groups.

Last week, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office filed a notice of an appeal of the ruling on behalf of the Texas Department of Public Safety. It came almost a month after U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, issued the original ruling on Aug. 25, writing that the Second Amendment protects all adults’ right to bear arms without an age limit. The suit was brought on by two plaintiffs within the 18-20 age range and the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc. against Texas, which has a law on the books setting the legal age at which people can carry handguns at 21.