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A Florida appeals court declared on Wednesday that the state law prohibiting adults aged 18 to 20 from carrying concealed firearms is unconstitutional, in a decision that expands gun rights in the state and reverses one of the restrictions put in place after the Parkland massacre.
The ruling was issued by the Fourth District Court of Appeal and concludes that the ban violates the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution by denying that age group the full exercise of their right to self-defense.
"Restricting the right to self-defense for young people between the ages of 18 and 20 —members of the same 'political community' as other law-abiding adults— would turn the Second Amendment into a 'second-class' right," wrote Judge Spencer D. Levine in the court's opinion.
The decision was supported by Chief Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz and Judge Shannon K. Shaw.
The case arose from the arrest of Jaylen Eubanks in 2024. The young man, who was 18 years old at the time, was charged with improper display of a firearm and concealed carry. After challenging the constitutionality of the law, his argument was initially rejected by a lower court, leading to the appeals process.
The questioned regulation had been approved by the Florida Legislature in 2023 as part of the measures adopted following the shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people died and another 17 were injured in February 2018.
One of the factors that influenced the outcome of the case was the decision by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier not to defend the law before the appeals court. In February of this year, his office announced that it regarded the restriction as unconstitutional.
The Broward County Prosecutor's Office sought to intervene to support the regulation and expressed its disagreement with the state government's position.
"Given the impact of gun crimes in the state of Florida, including the mass shooting on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, we respectfully disagree with the position taken by the Office of the Attorney General," stated Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor.
The decision is based on recent precedents from the Supreme Court of the United States, particularly the case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which expanded the constitutional protection of the right to bear arms. The judges also cited a federal ruling issued in 2024 that overturned similar restrictions in Minnesota.
After the ruling was announced, Uthmeier celebrated the decision.
"In another victory for the inalienable rights of Floridians, the 4th District Court of Appeals agreed with our position that the Florida law prohibiting adults under 21 from carrying concealed firearms is unconstitutional," he wrote on the social media platform X.
The Attorney General also indicated that he will not request an additional review of the ruling and that he will work with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement the decision.
The ruling adds to a series of resolutions and legislative changes that have progressively expanded firearm rights in Florida over the past few years.
In 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis enacted the law allowing concealed carry without a license. Two years later, an appeals court declared the state's prohibition on open carry unconstitutional.
The trend has also been reflected in the state legislature. In March 2025, the Florida House of Representatives passed an initiative to lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and shotguns from 21 to 18 years, a measure that continues to progress in the legislative process.
For Thomas Cottone, Eubanks' attorney, the decision could have repercussions beyond this case.
"It is even better than I expected," he stated, pointing out that he plans to use the precedent in other cases related to restrictions on the right to bear arms in Florida.
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