Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, urging the court to affirm the lower court’s decision to uphold Florida’s law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing firearms.
Raoul and the coalition filed the brief in National Rifle Association v. Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The lawsuit challenges a provision of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that generally prohibits firearm purchases by individuals under 21. Raoul also led a coalition in October 2021 defending the Florida law in the same case. 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.
“Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act establishes a reasonable age-based restriction on sales of firearms in hopes of preventing yet another deadly school shooting perpetrated at the hands of our youth,” Raoul said. “This act bears the name of a tragedy that may have been averted by commonsense firearm sales restrictions. I will continue to defend states’ ability to craft regulations to ensure dangerous weapons do not fall into the hands of those who will not use them responsibly.”
In their brief, Raoul and his colleagues argue that the Second Amendment allows states to enact sensible regulations designed to promote gun safety and protect against gun violence consistent with historical tradition. The coalition explains that states have long exercised their power to protect residents' health, safety, and welfare by enacting measures to minimize gun violence.
Additionally, Raoul and other attorneys general assert that Florida’s age-based regulation aligns with measures taken by other states and upheld by courts across the country. Although regulations differ based on each state’s needs, virtually every state and Washington D.C. has imposed some age-based restrictions on firearm sales or use. At least 19 states and Washington D.C. have enacted a minimum age requirement of 21 for certain categories of firearms.
The brief is part of Attorney General Raoul’s broader efforts to address gun violence throughout Illinois and nationwide. His office created Crime Gun Connect, a crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement, collaborates with local agencies to combat gun trafficking, prosecutes multi-county gun trafficking offenses, increases awareness about Illinois’ red flag law, addresses gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system, and prosecutes individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
Raoul's office partners with entities like the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to prevent targeted acts of violence through training sessions for various community members including law enforcement officers and educators.
Attorney General Raoul has consistently advocated at federal and state levels for stronger regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. While Illinois now prohibits ghost guns, his office continues fighting federally to close loopholes related to these weapons.
Supporting victims' service providers around Illinois is another priority for Raoul's office through programs administered by his Violence Prevention and Crime Victim Services Division aimed at assisting survivors of violent crime.
Joining Raoul in filing this amicus brief are attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Virginia Washington.
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