HARTFORD, Conn. — Attorney General William Tong filed an amicus brief on Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit asking for it to affirm a lower court’s decision to uphold a Florida law that prohibits people under age 21 from purchasing firearms.
By doing so, Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general who have filed the amicus brief in support of the Florida law, Tong’s office said.
Tong and the coalition filed the brief in National Rifle Association v. Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Tong’s office says the lawsuit challenges a provision of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that generally bans the purchase of firearms by those who are under 21 years old.
In October 2021, Tong also joined a coalition defending the Florida law in the same case, according to his office, which says that a panel of the appellate court issued an opinion in March 2023 upholding the law, but the full court voted to rehear the case and will hear arguments in the fall.
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“Age restrictions on firearm ownership are commonsense and lifesaving,” Tong said. “The appellate court was right when they first affirmed the law, and they should continue to do so now. My office will fight in any case and any forum to protect vital public safety laws.”
Tong and the coalition argue in the brief that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect states from enacting “sensible regulations” that are meant to promote gun safety and limit gun violence that are consistent with historical tradition, according to Tong’s office.
Tong’s office further notes that the coalition explains states have long exercised their power to protect the health, safety and welfare of their residents by putting in place safety measures that limit gun violence.
Tong and the coalition also explain that Florida’s age-based regulation is in line with measures taken by other states and upheld in courts throughout the United States. Regulations may differ based on each state’s needs, but “virtually” every state and the District of Columbia has enacted some age-based restrictions on the sale of firearms. Tong’s office says that at least 19 states and the District of Columbia have put in place a minimum age requirement of 21 for the sale and possession of certain categories of guns.
According to Tong’s office, Tong is joined in filing the amicus brief by the attorneys general for California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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