Court Torpedoes Gun Ban For Young Adults

A customer examining handguns at a firearms shop display

A Florida appeals court just ruled that banning 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying concealed firearms is unconstitutional — and it could be the crack that breaks open the entire post-Parkland gun law.

Quick Take

Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals struck down the state’s concealed carry ban for adults aged 18 to 20, ruling it violates the Second Amendment.
The court found no founding-era historical tradition that supports banning this age group from carrying firearms — a key test under the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling.
Florida’s own Attorney General sided against the state’s 2018 gun law, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike it down entirely.
A growing split among federal courts over gun rights for 18-to-20-year-olds makes Supreme Court review increasingly likely.

Florida Court Rules Concealed Carry Ban Violates the Constitution

Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals ruled in June 2026 that a state law banning adults aged 18 to 20 from carrying concealed firearms is unconstitutional. The court vacated the conviction of Jaylen Tyrus Eubanks, who had been charged under the statute, and sent the case back to a lower court. The three-judge panel said the plain text of the Second Amendment protects the right of 18-to-20-year-olds to carry firearms in public. ^[8]

The court applied the test set by the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. Under Bruen, gun laws must be rooted in the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. The Florida appeals court found no such tradition supporting a ban on concealed carry for this age group. The opinion put it plainly: “Eighteen- to 20-year-olds can defend the country without restriction but can only utilize their Second Amendment right to self-defense with severe restrictions.” ^[8]

Florida’s AG Turns Against the State’s Own 2018 Gun Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier took the rare step of urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the state’s 2018 law that bars adults under 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. His office filed a 17-page brief supporting the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) challenge to the law. Attorneys general typically defend state laws in court, making this move highly unusual. Uthmeier’s office concluded that the law violates the Second Amendment. ^[2]

The 2018 law was passed in a rush after the Parkland school shooting, which killed 17 people. Florida lawmakers raised the minimum purchase age for long guns from 18 to 21. The NRA sued almost immediately, arguing the law “obliterates” — not just limits — the Second Amendment rights of young adults. Years of court battles followed, with the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the purchase ban in an 8-4 ruling in early 2025. The NRA then appealed to the Supreme Court. ^[7]

Circuit Courts Are Deeply Split — Supreme Court May Have to Step In

Federal courts across the country disagree sharply on whether 18-to-20-year-olds have full Second Amendment rights. The Third, Fifth, and Eighth Circuits have ruled that they do. The Tenth and Eleventh Circuits have upheld laws banning firearm purchases by this age group. In January 2025, the Fifth Circuit struck down a federal handgun purchase ban for 18-to-20-year-olds, finding the government showed “scant evidence” that such restrictions existed at the nation’s founding. ^[7]

That deep split between circuits is exactly the kind of conflict the Supreme Court typically steps in to resolve. The NRA’s petition to the Court argues that justices must settle whether adults under 21 enjoy full Second Amendment protections. The Florida concealed carry ruling adds more pressure. Courts keep reaching opposite conclusions using the same Bruen test — and that inconsistency leaves millions of young adults in legal limbo depending on which state they live in. ^[3]