(TargetLiberty.org) – Chief U.S. District Judge Phillip A. Brimmer from Colorado issued a temporary block on a state law that would increase the legal age for buying a firearm to 21.
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a gun rights group, had sued Gov. Jared Polis over state law SB 23-169 which would stop anyone under the age of 21 from buying a firearm. The law included a number of exceptions for peace officers, U.S. armed forces active members, and those who hold Peace Officer Standards and Training board certifications.
The group argued that it was unconstitutional for those over the age of 18 to be denied the right to purchase guns. The group’s director Taylor Rhodes in a statement noted that when the law was unveiled their group had said that a federal judge would quickly strike it down.
A governor’s office spokesman noted that for more than five decades only those over the age of 21 were allowed to buy pistols but because of a loophole in the law those under that age were allowed to buy a rifle. The spokesperson noted that the Governor was hoping that the court would side with him in that the new law was not a violation of the Second Amendment.
They further pointed out that the age requirements are part of the Governor’s general efforts which have helped establish Colorado in the top ten safest states and that in Colorado they were supportive of responsible gun ownership.
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