Today, the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and two individuals filed a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s prohibition on concealed carry by adults under 21.
Pennsylvania generally requires an individual to obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm or transport a firearm in one’s vehicle. Moreover, a license is required to be exempt from the “Gun-Free School Zones Act,” which forbids carrying within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school—more than 3,000 of which exist throughout the Commonwealth. Adults under 21, however, are ineligible to apply for a license.
The Third Circuit has already held that “the people” covered by the Second Amendment “presumptively encompasses all adult Americans, including 18-to-20-year-olds.” And in the NRA’s 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen case, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects the public carry of firearms. Therefore, the plaintiffs argue, Pennsylvania’s concealed-carry licensing scheme violates the Second Amendment by preventing adults under 21 from exercising the full scope of the right to bear arms.
The case, named Young v. Ott, was filed in the federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights, and please visit https://www.nraila.org/legal-legislation/current-litigation/ to keep up to date on NRA-ILA’s ongoing litigation efforts.