U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala on Monday rejected the lawsuit brought by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) against the state’s ban on adults under 21 possessing pistols and acquiring handgun permits.
Nagala decided that denying gun rights to legal and law-abiding adults somehow does not infringe on the Second Amendment.
Judge greatly increased the ruling’s scope by also applying it to federal law
She went further and expanded her ruling to support federal laws prohibiting handgun sales to 18-20-year-olds. Somehow, the court determined that such restrictions pass the Bruen test and align with the nation’s historical tradition of gun control.
State lawyers cited Founding Era laws restricting gun possession by minors. In what universe are 18-20-year-olds minors?
SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb said before this week’s ruling that it is a gross injustice to deny the right to keep and bear arms to young adults. “There is no doubt adults in this age range are part of ‘the People,’ and it’s high time the government stopped fighting the inevitable.”
Yet another gun rights issue begs for U.S. Supreme Court clarification
Nagala’s expansive ruling increased the intensity in similar battles currently waged by gun rights organizations against other jurisdictions, and the waters are increasingly muddied. In 2025, a Fifth Circuit three-judge panel found the federal law barring young adult weapon purchases unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong predictably called the decision a win for “commonsense gun safety.”
“The court rejected another radical challenge to dismantle Connecticut’s gun safety laws and affirmed what we’ve argued from the start,” Tong claimed. “These age restrictions are constitutional, and they save lives.”
So, in the AG’s worldview, Second Amendment supporters are “radicals” and denying that young adults are part of “the people” is constitutional. Make that make sense.
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