U.S. Law Week June 2025 Circuit Split Roundup: Under-21 Gun Ban

A circuit split over a federal law that prevents 18-to-20-year-olds from buying handguns presents an opportunity for the US Supreme Court to refine its approach to Second Amendment questions.

The tension between the circuits arises in part from the framework the Supreme Court created in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen and United States v. Rahimi. Bruen created a two-part test that asks first whether the regulation touches on a core right protected by the Second Amendment, and, if so, whether the US has a history or tradition of similar gun regulations.

In Rahimi, ...