A federal judge in Virginia has invalidated a set of federal restrictions that prohibit teens under the age of 21 from buying a gun from federally licensed firearms dealers. The ban violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms.

Judge Robert Payne explained that many of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are granted at age 18, including the right to vote, enlisting without parental permission, participation in a federal jury. "If the Court were to exclude youth between the ages of 18 and 20 from Second Amendment protection," the judge wrote, "it would impose limitations on the Second Amendment itself."

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A gun for sale in a Virginia store

The sentence was handed down in a case brought by four boys who were over 18 but under 21 when they wanted to buy guns. Under the law, parents can buy guns for their children or, this is the bizarre detail, children under 21 can buy a rifle.

The judge cited a recent Supreme Court decision that expanded the right to gun under the Second Amendment. This is New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, who struck down a New York State law that placed strict limits on carrying guns outside the home.

"This decision is not a surprise," said Jonathan Lowy, a lawyer and armed violence activist who has sued firearms manufacturers on behalf of victims of mass shootings and their families. "The Bruen case gave license to any judge to amend any gun law."

John Feinblatt, chairman of the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, expects the ruling to be overturned, but he also teased a wave of similar cases over the next year by conservative justices.

"It's the latest example of a broader campaign by the gun lobby," he said.

"Not only are guns the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the U.S., but data shows that young people between the ages of 18 and 20 commit homicides at three times the rate of those over 21."

The case could end up before the Supreme Court and comes just after a wave of mass shootings that has swept across the United States and left dozens dead. In 2021, more than 47,000 people were killed by live ammunition in the country.