Texas stops effort to limit 2nd Amendment to 21+ year olds

[Seymour Flops]

Texas drops fight to prevent 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns in public

A federal judge ruled earlier this year that a state law banning young adults from publicly carrying handguns is unconstitutional. The state no longer plans to appeal that ruling.

www.texastribune.org

Texas will no longer fight to ban 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns in public. A judge ruled earlier this year that a state law banning the practice was unconstitutional, and Texas initially filed a notice that it would appeal. But Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw withdrew the appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week.

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman’s ruling was the first major decision about Texas gun laws since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the Second Amendment protected individuals who carry weapons for self-defense.

In September, the state filed a notice of appeal, which angered gun rights activists.
“Once again, government officials in the state of Texas are proven to be anti-gun stooges,” Dudley Brown, the president of the National Association for Gun Rights, said in a news release at the time.

Neither the notice of appeal nor the withdrawal listed legal arguments or reasons for doing so; DPS and the Texas attorney general’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Firearms Policy Coalition, which, along with two teenagers, brought the suit against the state, released a statement celebrating the latest development.

“We applaud Texas for doing the right thing and accepting the district court’s ruling against its law prohibiting 18-to-20-year-old adults from carrying firearms in public,” said Cody J. Wisniewski, FPC’s senior attorney for constitutional litigation, adding, “Young adults have the same constitutionally protected right to bear arms as all other adults.”

I see Democrats hating this. But it was the 18 year-old voting age that set the standard for adulthood. They should think about that when they start talking about letting 16 year-old's vote. I know they just want to use that as a springboard for lowing the age for other activities, but this would be an unintended result.

 

[1srelluc]

Meh, in Virginia 18 year olds can "open carry" a long gun. It's always been that way. It's actually less than that when hunting on state land.

 

[ReinyDays]

Oregon recent proposition 114 is on-hold by the courts ... this will require state registration to purchase and ban high capacity magazines ... at best the new laws are delayed, it's very difficult for the Legislature to overturn the direct vote of We the People here ... 18 year olds have pretty much the same rights as over 21s ... except to purchase handguns, though possession and ownership of handguns is allowed ... mommy or daddy has to do the actual purchase ... open carry is allowed state-wise ... either unloaded or unloaded in specific communities ... my information isn't real clear on that ...

Regardless of the Federal Constitution ... Oregon State Constitution explicitly includes individual rights to own a gun ... check, 44 of the 50 State Constitutions have this language, good chance yours does too ... California's doesn't, that make gun laws there different, citizens there don't have the explicit right to own a gun ...

The big difference I see between Texas gun laws and the Bluest of the Blue Oregon gun laws is under Texas law, it's physically impossible to conceal carry a long gun ... not that you need a permit to conceal carry, which is also different than Oregon ... [blanking] Democrats ...