Virginia judge says law banning sales of handguns to young adults is unconstitutional

By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. The ruling came Wednesday. It would prevent dealers from selling handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds. Four plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the 1968 law and associated regulations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after they were turned down when they tried to buy handguns. Wednesday’s ruling is the latest decision striking down gun laws in the wake of a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling. That ruling changed the test courts have long used to evaluate challenges to firearm restrictions.