PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Florida appeals court has ruled the state’s ban on concealed carry by people 18 to 20 years old is unconstitutional.
Judge Spencer Levine says the law violates the second amendment. He says the young adults are entitled to the same constitutional protections as law-abiding adults over the age of 20.
Florida House Representative Michelle Salzman agrees. She says she co-sponsored similar legislation in the House to protect what she believes are “constitutional rights” for 18 to 20-year-olds.
“I think it’s a win for Floridians,” Salzman said. “It’s certainly a win for your ability to protect yourself and to exercise your Second Amendment rights.”
Levine of the Fourth District Court of Appeals has ruled the state’s ban on concealed carry for people aged 18 to 20 is unconstitutional.
“Can law abiding adults, aged 18 to 20, be prohibited from exercising their Second Amendment rights to self-defense available to other law abiding adults?” said Levine. “The plain text of the constitution and our country’s history and traditions say ‘no.'”
In his opinion, Levine said if 18-year-olds can serve in the military, they deserve the right to defend themselves.
“I think the ability for single moms and just people in general to protect themselves is critical and if you’re 20 years old and you’re military stationed here and you live off base and you can’t even own a firearm, I mean, that doesn’t seem very safe to me,” Salzman said. “It doesn’t seem like we’re protecting you or your rights or giving individual liberties or freedom so I’m really excited about the ruling.”
Right now, Florida and federal law says you must be at least 21 to purchase a handgun from commercial sellers.
Salzman wants that changed, too. She hopes with the recent ruling, the legislature will drop that to 18 as well.
“So you, right now, in the state of Florida, you can be gifted a firearm at 20 years old,” Salzman said. “So your mom, right now, can buy you a firearm at 20 years old, give it to you, and you can have it at your house. So the problem was that you can’t purchase that firearm. You can’t carry that firearm. So I hope to see something clean that up in the legislature next year. It would be nice to have that codified and statue, all of it actually.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier says they will now work with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement the court’s order.