A federal judge in Virginia has declared unconstitutional a set of laws and regulations that prohibit federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds, finding that the measures violated the Second Amendment.
“Because the statutes and regulations in question are not consistent with our Nation’s history and tradition, they, therefore, cannot stand,” U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne, who sits in Richmond, concluded in a 71-page opinion.
Gun-control advocates say the decision, if allowed to stand, would significantly increase gun access for a population that research shows is more impulsive and responsible for a disproportionate number of fatal shootings. But attorneys on both sides of the case said they expected the Justice Department to appeal and request a stay, which would prevent Payne’s ruling from taking effect while higher courts weigh the case.
Elliott M. Harding, the attorney who argued to nullify the laws and regulations, […]
We lack clarity, as a society, as to what age adulthood begins. We continue to struggle between ages 18 and 21 year old. The problem is that the empire requires young bodies to supply the war machine, so we cannot firmly states that 21 years old is the age of adulthood, despite the advantages of this. A decision such as referenced in the article highlights the contradictions inherent in our culture.