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States Join the National Rifle Association in Supreme Court Fight for the
Second Amendment Rights of Young Adults
Posted
on September 3, 2013
Fairfax,
Va. – Twenty-one state attorneys general have co-signed an amicus brief filed
by Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange in support of the National Rifle
Association’s challenge against a federal law that restricts the sale of
handguns to young adults aged 18 – 20. The case, National Rifle Association of
America, Inc., et. al. v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives,
et al., seeks to end the federal prohibition of young adults to purchase
handguns from federally licensed dealers.
“Young
adults, many of whom have fought and sacrificed life and limb for their
country, should not be prohibited from fully exercising their fundamental Right
to Keep and Bear Arms,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s
Institute for Legislative Action. “The Second Amendment should receive no less
respect than our other enumerated constitutional freedoms.”
Attorney
General Strange’s brief notes that most states allow 18-20 year old adults to
exercise this aspect of their Second Amendment rights, and “yet Congress has
sought to withdraw this liberty from the same class of people.” The history of
the Founding era makes clear that 18 year olds were considered adults in
regards to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms; for example, the Militia Act of
1792 required 18 year olds to “be enrolled in the militia” and to arm
themselves accordingly.
The
states joining Alabama in the amicus brief are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan,
Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
“The
NRA has been engaged in this ongoing fight for years – in Congress, in state
legislatures, and in the courts – and we will not rest until the Right of every
law-abiding American to Keep and Bear Arms is fully protected by our nation’s
laws,” concluded Cox.
-NRA-
Established
in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and
sportsmen's group. More than four million members strong, NRA continues to
uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against
violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader
in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement
and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation
and on Twitter @NRA.
