Georgia Court Rules 18-to-20-Year-Olds Can’t Carry Handguns in Public

The Georgia Supreme Court upheld a state law preventing most people under 21 from possessing or carrying a handgun in public.

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the justices ruled against Thomas Stephens, a 20-year-old man who sued the state after being denied a carry permit. At that time, Stephens asked the court to stop enforcing the law, citing the constitutional right to bear arms.

Under Georgia law, 18-to-20-year-olds may possess handguns under certain conditions -- on their property, in their car, at their place of business, or while fishing, hunting, or sport shooting. That age group is prohibited from carrying in public, though.

Stephens challenged the law in 2023 when he was 18 years old. A trial court initially dismissed the lawsuit, but Stephens appealed. This week, the high court reviewed the case. It determined that though the Georgia Constitution does guarantee the right to bear arms, it allows the state’s General Assembly to define and regulate how firearms are carried.

In the Court Opinion, authored by Justice Andrew A. Pinson, the court held that it had previously upheld restrictions on where guns are permitted in the state, pointing to laws prohibiting them in churches and courts.

Pinson wrote that state laws are presumed constitutional, noting that challenging them carries a heavy burden. He summed it up by saying, “Stephens fails to meet that heavy burden here.”

Though Stephens’ attorney John Monroe argued that the law infringed on his client’s rights, he acknowledged the fight was an uphill battle. Speaking to the Associated Press, he expressed disappointment in the decision but said it wasn’t surprising.

“It’s not unexpected because there’s over a century of precedent that was against us,” Monroe told the Associated Press.

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