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Friday, January 19, 2024

Age Victory

 Lara v. Commissioner of Penn. State Police (3d.Circ. 2023):

Through the combined operation of three statutes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania effectively bans 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying firearms outside their homes during a state of emergency. Madison Lara, Sophia Knepley, and Logan Miller, who were in that age range when they filed this suit, want to carry firearms outside their homes for lawful purposes, including self-defense. They, along with two gun rights organizations, sued the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police (the “Commissioner”) to stop enforcement of the statutes, but the District Court ruled against them. They now appeal the District Court’s order dismissing their case and denying them preliminary injunctive relief. They assert that the Commonwealth’s statutory scheme violates the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. In response, the Commissioner contends that the Appellants are not among “the people” to whom the Second Amendment applies, and that the Nation’s history and tradition of firearm regulation support the statutory status quo. We disagree. The words “the people” in the Second Amendment presumptively encompass all adult Americans, including 18-to-20-year-olds, and we are aware of no founding-era law that supports disarming people in that age group. Accordingly, we will reverse and remand. They assert that the Commonwealth’s statutory scheme violates the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. In response, the Commissioner contends that the Appellants are not among “the people” to whom the Second Amendment applies, and that the Nation’s history and tradition of firearm regulation support the statutory status quo. We disagree. The words “the people” in the Second Amendment presumptively encompass all adult Americans, including 18- to-20-year-olds, and we are aware of no founding-era law that supports disarming people in that age group. Accordingly, we will reverse and remand.

Good choice having two of the three plaintiffs be women, a group notable for low murder rates. 





2 comments:

  1. How do you know two are women? "Sophia", of course, but "Madison" or "Logan"? There are well-known women named Madison (ice dancers Madison Chock and Madison Hubbell), but it could just as easily be a man's name. I've never heard of a woman named "Logan".

    A quick scan of the coverage didn't mention their sexes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every Madison that I have ever met was female. Logan can be either.

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