Federal Judge Rules 18-to-20-Year-Olds Have Right to Carry Guns in Texas

Young adults in the Lone Star State may soon be able to carry a firearm for self-defense.

A federal judge on the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Texas ruled on Thursday that a Texas law prohibiting 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying handguns for self-defense was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.

“Based on the Second Amendment’s text, as informed by Founding-Era history and tradition, the Court concludes that the Second Amendment protects against this prohibition,” Judge Mark Pittman wrote in his order. “Texas’s statutory scheme must therefore be enjoined to the extent that law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds are prohibited from applying for a license to carry a handgun.”