The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has initiated a federal lawsuit against Pennsylvania’s prohibition of young adults aged 18 to 20 from obtaining a License to Carry a Firearm (LTCF) for personal protection.
The case, Brown v. Paris, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
SAF is joined in the lawsuit by three young adults and SAF members: Taylor Brown, Shawn Palmer, and Max Ness.
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They are represented by attorneys Joshua Prince of the Civil Rights Defense Firm and Adam Kraut of the Second Amendment Foundation. The defendant in the case is Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police.
The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s law, arguing that it infringes upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding young adults who are otherwise eligible to possess firearms.
The plaintiffs contend that the age restriction unfairly denies them the ability to exercise their right to bear arms for self-defense.
“Our individual plaintiffs have no criminal backgrounds and would like to procure a LTCF,” said Kraut, who also serves as SAF’s executive director. “However, the state law precludes them from carrying firearms, whether openly or concealed, in public for self-defense. Yet, a look back at history reveals young adults between 18 and 20 were fully protected by the Second Amendment at the time of its ratification. Indeed, at the time of the founding, young adults in this age group were actually required to keep and bear arms.”
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SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb noted, “As we explain in our lawsuit, SAF has members and supporters all over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and we are bringing this action on their behalf. Our young adult members would lawfully carry and legally transport firearms for personal protection and the protection of their loved ones, and others, but for the defendant’s enforcement of the laws we are challenging.”
The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that Pennsylvania’s law is unconstitutional, along with immediate relief in the form of a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to halt its enforcement.
Ultimately, the plaintiffs aim for a permanent injunction that would permanently prevent the state from enforcing the age restriction on concealed carry licenses.
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