Concealed Carry for Young Adults: NRA Files PA Lawsuit

Where do you stand on concealed carry for 18- to 20-year-olds?

Many strongly pro-gun Americans are actually a little uneasy about allowing CCW for the youngest of adults–those under 21. That’s probably because we all remember how dumb we were at the age of 18. But is that sense of unease enough to negate the clear language of the Second Amendment? There are many states where the answer is “yes,” and one of them is Pennsylvania.

If that seems a little surprising coming from such a 2A-friendly state, it shouldn’t be. Penna isn’t exactly a monolith of bucolic countryside. The state has several large population centers where, yes, youth gangs do operate. Nobody wants to make it easier for them to arm themselves. BUT …

There are far more law-abiding 18- to 20-year-olds than there are members of youth gangs. Do those good young citizens not deserve to protect themselves (especially against youth gangs)? Furthermore, if it’s acceptable to put an 18-year-old in uniform and send them out to fight a war (and not in that Tim Walz way), why isn’t it acceptable for that same young adult to carry a handgun?

Here’s the crux of the question. When does adulthood begin? When do we trust people to make their own decisions? From a personal standpoint, the answers to those questions could be all over the map. But from a legal standpoint, we as a society had to draw a line somewhere, and we drew the line at 18. If we’re going to forbid young adults the exercise of a right enumerated in the Bill of Rights, then we should really be reworking ALL of our age-based laws.

What would that look like? No marriages under age 21. No soldiers under age 21. No legal contracts under age 21. If none of that sounds sane or a way to build a society, then this news from NRA-ILA will be most welcome.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.