The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), alongside several prominent gun rights organizations, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Massachusetts law that prohibits adults aged 18 to 20 from acquiring, possessing, or carrying semiautomatic firearms and handguns. The case, Escher v. Mason, argues that the law violates the Second Amendment and unfairly denies young adults their constitutional rights.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, targets provisions of Massachusetts House Bill 4885, which Governor Maura Healey signed into law in July 2024.
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The plaintiffs include the SAF, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), Commonwealth Second Amendment, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and Mack Escher, a private citizen for whom the case is named.
The defendants are Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, and Heath J. Eldredge, Chief of Police in Brewster, Massachusetts, both sued in their official capacities.
The plaintiffs argue that the Massachusetts statute is unconstitutional because it denies young adults aged 18 to 20 the right to own and carry commonly used firearms despite their status as legal adults.
“Massachusetts’s law barring 18-20-year-olds from being able to acquire, possess, and carry commonly possessed firearms fails to comport with the Constitution’s command,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “These adult individuals are entitled to the full scope of the Second Amendment’s protections, yet the State has opted to affirmatively treat them as if they have fewer rights.”
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The lawsuit contends that the law contradicts historical and legal traditions that recognize the rights of young adults to bear arms. “An honest look at our nation’s history and tradition will only yield one result, that is, this law is blatantly unconstitutional,” Kraut added.
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb emphasized that the lawsuit is about protecting constitutional rights, not just gun ownership.
“State legislatures that adopt such restrictive laws invariably mask their motives by claiming they are ‘gun safety’ measures, but this isn’t about guns, it’s about rights,” Gottlieb said. “It’s time for anti-gun officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere to understand that.”
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The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Jason Guida of Saugus, Massachusetts, and David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, and William V. Bergstrom of Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C. The legal team argues that the Massachusetts law violates the Second Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause by discriminating against a specific age group.
“Federal law allows for legal action against states that deprive individuals of federal constitutional rights under color of state law,” Gottlieb explained. “This lawsuit is about ensuring that all Americans, regardless of age, are treated equally under the Constitution.”
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The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by gun rights organizations to challenge state and local firearm restrictions in the wake of recent Supreme Court rulings that have strengthened Second Amendment protections.
The outcome of Escher v. Mason could have significant implications for similar laws in other states, particularly those that impose age-based restrictions on firearm ownership. If the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could set a precedent for striking down other laws that limit the Second Amendment rights of young adults.
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