Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Decision Recognizing Young Adult Carry to Stand

Monday, April 28, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Decision Recognizing Young Adult Carry to Stand

On Monday, April 21, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appeal from the state of Minnesota in Worth v. Jacobson, allowing to stand an Eight Circuit ruling declaring that a ban on obtaining carry permits by 18-20 year olds is unconstitutional. This paves the way for these military-aged adults to apply for permits from their local sheriffs.

The Worth case was initially filed in June 2021 and included as plaintiffs three young adults challenging Minnesota’s permit to carry age limit. In 2023, a federal district court ruled the restriction was unconstitutional in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in NYSRPA v. Bruen. Later that year, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit unanimously found that Minnesota’s ban against 18–20-year-olds seeking permits to carry handguns for self-defense is indeed unconstitutional and reiterated that the ban could not survive the Bruen standard of evaluating the restriction for consistency with an historical tradition dating our nation’s founding era. “Minnesota has not met its burden to proffer sufficient evidence to rebut the presumption that 18 to 20-year-olds seeking to carry handguns in public for self-defense are protected by the right to keep and bear arms,” the court wrote.

NRA-ILA has been advocating on behalf of the rights of young adults for decades and previously filed an amicus brief supporting the challenge to the Minnesota carry ban. We also reported on the subsequent legal win in the appeals court here: NRA-ILA | Appeals Court: 21+ Age Requirement for Carry Permits is Unconstitutional

Meanwhile, the NRA is pursuing this issue in other jurisdictions as well.

This past February, NRA filed Escher v. Noble, challenging Massachusetts’s prohibition on the possession and carry of handguns and semiautomatic firearms by adults under 21.

A similar case, Young v. Ott, is currently before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where NRA is challenging Pennsylvania’s prohibition on concealed carry by 18 to 20-year-olds.

Recently, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1)—which prohibit federal firearms licensees from selling handguns to 18 to 20-year-olds—violate the Second Amendment. In its opinion, the court repeatedly cited law review articles published by NRA-ILA’s Director of Litigation Counsel, Joseph Greenlee, in determining that 18-to-20-year-olds are among “the people” and were protected by the Second Amendment at the time of our nation’s founding.

In Florida, NRA challenged the state ban on firearm purchases by adults under 21. Last month, the en banc Eleventh Circuit upheld the ban in an 8-4 decision. Yet soon after the court issued its decision, Florida’s Attorney General announced his office would not defend the law if NRA sought further review at the U.S. Supreme Court. Additionally, legislative efforts in Tallahassee are ongoing to pass legislation to restore the ability for young adults to lawfully purchase firearms.

Also on the legislative front, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently signed legislation which will allow 18-20 year-olds to own and carry handguns in Iowa beginning July 1, 2025.

Ultimately, these critical developments have aided the more thorough and appropriate application of the Second Amendment to include 18 to 20-year-olds. Simply put, courts are increasingly recognizing that young adults are among “the people” whose right to keep and bear arms is protected. Whether the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually take up the issue on the merits remains to be seen, but last week’s denial of cert in Worth means another pro-gun decision will stay on the books as binding law. 

TRENDING NOW
U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

In a single sentence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit added to the high-profile and consequential national conversation on firearm suppressors.

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

2A News Out of New Jersey You Won’t Believe: It’s Actually a Good Thing!

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

2A News Out of New Jersey You Won’t Believe: It’s Actually a Good Thing!

The Garden State is not where most seek positive developments regarding our right to arms, so we were pleasantly surprised when Englishtown, N.J., recently made a move to support the Second Amendment.

Switched Off: A Case Study on Minnesota’s Illegal Machine Gun Law

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

Switched Off: A Case Study on Minnesota’s Illegal Machine Gun Law

There’s been a lot of noise of late about auto sears or so-called “Glock switches” – devices to convert a semiautomatic firearm into an automatic weapon. 

Update: Washington Post Fact Checks Misleading Ad Council “Children” and Firearms Talking Point

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

Update: Washington Post Fact Checks Misleading Ad Council “Children” and Firearms Talking Point

Last week, NRA-ILA explained how a recent public service announcement campaign from the federally-funded Ad Council, and the gun control lobby more broadly, manipulates statistics to create misleading talking points about “children” and firearms.

DOJ Files Amicus Brief Supporting NRA-Backed Challenge to IL’s Ban on “Assault Weapons” and “Large-Capacity Magazines”

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

DOJ Files Amicus Brief Supporting NRA-Backed Challenge to IL’s Ban on “Assault Weapons” and “Large-Capacity Magazines”

Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in the Seventh Circuit supporting an NRA-backed challenge to Illinois’s prohibition on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines.”

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Friday, June 20, 2025

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s law prohibiting people from buying more than one firearm in a 30-day period violates the Second Amendment.

Gun-Control Window Dressing: Chicago Inspector-General Calls Out Futility of Gun Offender Registry

News  

Monday, June 16, 2025

Gun-Control Window Dressing: Chicago Inspector-General Calls Out Futility of Gun Offender Registry

Fifteen years ago, the City of Chicago adopted a “gun offender registry” ordinance that requires convicted gun offenders to register with the police and have police monitor anyone listed in the registry. 

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

Friday, June 20, 2025

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

On Monday, June 9th, outside of regular session, the Senate passed the Environment Omnibus bill, removing shotgun-only hunting zones in the state. 

Rhode Island: Legislature Passes Semi-Auto Ban

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Rhode Island: Legislature Passes Semi-Auto Ban

After years of showing up at the Statehouse in huge numbers fighting against a drastic semi-auto ban, gun owners were rightfully upset when the Legislature finally pushed an amended version across the finish line to ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.