NJ Under-21 Handgun Ban Upheld as Consistent With Past Laws (1)

March 19, 2026, 7:30 PM UTCUpdated: March 19, 2026, 9:19 PM UTC

New Jersey can ban people 20-and-under from possessing firearms because such a restriction passes constitutional scrutiny, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.

A 19-year-old defendant should have his underage possession of a handgun charge reinstated, the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division ruled unanimously, because someone without a firearm permit can be convicted of that crime and it doesn’t violate the Second Amendment.

“New Jersey’s statute prohibiting people under the age of twenty-one from possessing a handgun except in defined circumstances is constitutional because the statute is consistent with our Nation’s ‘historical tradition of firearm regulation,’” Judge Robert J. Gilson ...

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