Gun owners and national industry groups, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), have filed a federal lawsuit against Massachusetts’s recent legislation prohibiting individuals aged 18 to 20 from possessing or carrying handguns and semiautomatic firearms. Signed into law by Governor Maura Healey in July as part of an effort to combat the rise of ghost guns and enhance red flag laws, this controversial measure is described by critics as one of the most significant assaults on the Second Amendment in the nation’s history.
The lawsuit highlights that while young adults can obtain a firearm identification card, it does not allow them to purchase or carry the prohibited firearms, effectively barring them from exercising their rights. Among the plaintiffs is Mack Escher, a student from Brewster, who argues the law infringes upon his rights to defend himself and participate in recreational hunting. This case emerges in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022 that affirmed the right of law-abiding citizens to carry firearms publicly, adding significant weight to the legal arguments against the new restrictions.
Read full story at www.boston.com
