BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), joined by New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate (NJFOS), have filed a lawsuit in district court challenging New Jersey’s ban on adults under the age of 21 from purchasing, owning or carrying handguns and handgun ammunition.
New Jersey’s statutory regime bans adults under 21 from acquiring, possessing and carrying a handgun for self-defense, as well as purchasing handgun ammunition. This new case makes clear the Constitution and the Supreme Court recognize every peaceable adult has the right to acquire, possess and carry a handgun for their self-defense. Adults under 21 are no different as they are part of “the People.”
“There is not, and never has been, a constitutionally grounded basis for depriving adults under 21 from owning or possessing handguns, period,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “Adults 18-20-years-old are part of ‘the People’ and can exercise their full Second Amendment rights. Unfortunately, residents of this age group living in New Jersey are being selectively discriminated against solely based on their age, and we aim to rectify that.”
In the case, Hague v. Murphy, SAF is joined by NJFOS and Lily Hague, for whom the case is named. They are represented by Raymond M. DiGuiseppe of The DiGuiseppe Law Firm and Shannon Garrahan of the Law Offices of Shannon Garrahan.
As noted in the complaint, “Simply no historical analogue exists for prohibiting adults under 21 from purchasing, acquiring, possessing, or carrying handguns nor for banning otherwise lawful commerce between dealers and adults under 21.”
“New Jersey’s handgun and ammunition ban absolutely infringes on the Second Amendment rights of all resident adults under 21 in the state,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Each of our age-based lawsuits around the country have the same goal – restoring the rights of adults under 21 who have been disenfranchised by those who think they can trample on their Second Amendment rights purely based on their age.”
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