A Florida appeals court has ruled that adults ages 18 to 20 are entitled to the same Second Amendment protections as older adults, striking down the state’s ban on concealed carry for people under 21.
The unanimous decision from Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals found that the state’s restriction violated the constitutional rights of young adults who are otherwise law-abiding. The ruling focused on whether Florida could treat 18- to 20-year-olds differently from other adults when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm for self-defense.
Judge Spencer D. Levine, writing for the three-judge panel, said the state’s law placed severe limits on young adults while allowing older adults to exercise the same right. He argued that restricting people in that age group would turn the Second Amendment into a “second-class” right.
The court also pointed to the fact that 18-year-olds are legally allowed to serve in the military. In the opinion, Levine wrote that young adults can defend the country but had been blocked from fully exercising the same self-defense rights available to other adults in Florida.
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The case came from the 2024 arrest of Jaylen Eubanks, who was 18 at the time. According to the court opinion, officers responded to a report of a person displaying a handgun. Police later detained Eubanks and found an unholstered firearm on his waist. He was charged with carrying a concealed firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Eubanks challenged the concealed-carry charge, arguing that Florida’s age restriction violated the Second Amendment. A trial court rejected his argument, but the appeals court reversed that decision.
The law at issue was passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed. The measure was part of a broader effort to tighten firearm restrictions after the attack.
However, the appeals court said Florida failed to show that the age-based restriction was supported by the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. The panel cited major U.S. Supreme Court decisions on gun rights, including Heller, Bruen, and Rahimi, and said adults ages 18 to 20 are part of “the people” protected by the Second Amendment.
The court also referenced founding-era militia laws, noting that many 18-year-old men were required to serve while bearing arms. According to the opinion, that history suggested that lawmakers at the time believed young adults could and should keep and bear arms.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said after the ruling that his office would not seek further review. He described the decision as a win for constitutional rights and said the state would work with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement the court’s order.
The ruling does not end all legal questions around gun restrictions for young adults, but it marks a major decision in Florida’s ongoing debate over firearm rights, age limits, and public safety.
Supporters of the ruling are likely to argue that adults should not lose constitutional protections simply because they are under 21. Critics may argue that states should have more room to regulate firearms for younger adults, especially after mass shootings involving young suspects.
Why It Matters
The decision matters because it expands the legal recognition of gun rights for young adults in Florida. The court made clear that 18- to 20-year-olds cannot automatically be treated differently from older adults when it comes to Second Amendment protections.
It also adds to a broader national debate over how courts should apply historical tradition tests to modern gun laws.
What Comes Next
Florida officials are expected to implement the ruling after the attorney general said the state would not seek further review. The case will return to the lower court for additional proceedings related to Eubanks’ concealed-carry conviction.
The ruling may also influence future challenges to age-based gun restrictions in other states.
State officials said they will not seek further review after the court’s ruling on concealed carry rights for adults under 21.
In another win for the unalienable rights of Floridians, the 4th DCA agreed with our position that Florida’s law banning adults under 21 from conceal carrying a firearm is unconstitutional.
We will not seek further review and will work with @FDACS to implement the court’s order.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 17, 2026
