Aban on sales of handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds was denied by a federal judge, who deemed the ban "facially unconstitutional" and inconsistent with traditional regulations.
Judge Thomas Kleeh, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, gave a detailed but overall simple rejection of the ban in a 40-page decision.
The lawsuit was brought forth by the Second Amendment Foundation and the West Virginia Citizens Defense League. Defendants in the case were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with Attorney General Merrick Garland.
According to SCNR, Judge Kleeh relied heavily on the 2022 ruling in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc., Inc. v Bruen case. That case overturned a New York gun control law that required gun owners seeking a concealed carry license for handguns to demonstrate a "proper cause" to do so.
