FPC Amends Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee Young Adult Carry Ban

[Charlie T Waite]

KNOXVILLE, TN (September 7, 2022) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of an amended complaint in Beeler v. Skrmetti, its case that seeks to restore the right of adults under 21 years of age to carry loaded, operable arms in public for self-defense in Tennessee. The complaint can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“The State cannot carry its burden of proving the existence of ‘a distinctly similar historical regulation’ that burdened the right to bear arms in the same way and for the same reasons,” argues the complaint. “Instead, the relevant historical evidence weighs heavily in favor of upholding the right to carry loaded handguns in public for 18-to-20-year-olds, just the same as for those who are 21 years and older. They are squarely among ‘the people’ for whom the Second Amendment guarantees were created. They were not only allowed to keep and bear arms without any restriction but required to do so during the Founding era that shaped the liberties enshrined in the Amendment.”

“Just two weeks ago in the FPC-led case Andrews v. McCraw, a federal district judge in Texas concluded that the Constitution demands the restoration of the right to bear arms to the young adults of that state,” said FPC Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “With today’s filing in Beeler, the Eastern District of Tennessee now has the opportunity to properly apply Bruen and reach the same conclusion.”

In addition to Beeler, other FPC cases seeking to restore young adults’ right to keep and bear arms include Lara v. Evanchick (vs. Pennsylvania, in the 3rd Circuit), Andrews v. McCraw (vs. Texas, in the 5th Circuit), Reese v. ATF (vs. the federal government, in the 5th Circuit), Meyer v. Raoul (vs. Illinois, in the 7th Circuit), Worth v. Harrington (vs. Minnesota, in the 8th Circuit), Jones v. Bonta (vs. California, in the 9th Circuit), and Baughcum v. Jackson (vs. Georgia, in the 11th Circuit).