NRA and FPC sue Pennsylvania over carry permit age limit

The Firearms Policy Coalition and the National Rifle Association have filed a federal lawsuit against Pennsylvania, arguing the state's ban on carry licenses for adults aged 18 to 20 violates the Second Amendment.

Snapshot

The lawsuit, Maines v. Bethel, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. It challenges a state law that categorically bars adults under 21 from even applying for a license to carry a concealed firearm, carry in a vehicle, or carry in public in Philadelphia, according to a press release from the Firearms Policy Coalition.

Key points

• Who's suing: FPC and the NRA brought the case alongside a member who says Pennsylvania is denying his right to carry a firearm for self-defense.
• The gap in the law: Pennsylvania allows some unlicensed open carry, but the lawsuit says that doesn't cover carrying in a vehicle or on Philadelphia streets, leaving 18-to-20-year-olds without a lawful option for routine trips.
• Prior ruling: The suit builds on Lara v. Paris, in which the Third Circuit held that 18-to-20-year-olds are protected by the Second Amendment and reaffirmed that decision in January 2025 after Supreme Court remand.
• FPC's argument: FPC President Brandon Combs said Pennsylvania "still insists on treating peaceable adults as second-class citizens" despite losing the earlier case, noting these adults can enlist, vote, marry and sign contracts.

Quick take

Tom Knighton of Bearing Arms argues Pennsylvania is repeating a legal fight it already lost, calling the state's continued enforcement of its licensing restriction indefensible after Bruen. He frames the gap between lawful possession and lawful carry as a direct infringement on young adults' Second Amendment rights.

Read the full story: bearingarms.com