It’s a funny old world. One minute you’re getting your driver’s license, the next you’re being handed a voter registration card, and before you know it, Uncle Sam himself might be asking you to sign on the dotted line to defend this great nation. These are the milestones, aren’t they? The moments we step into the full light of citizenship, with all the responsibilities and, you’d think, all the rights that come with it.

But then, just when you think you’ve got the rulebook figured out, it seems like someone in a stuffy office somewhere decides to add a few surprise chapters. Suddenly, the goalposts for “adulthood” start shifting like sand dunes in a hurricane. You can do this, but not that. You’re responsible enough for X, but heaven forbid you try your hand at Y. It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin, and frankly, it often feels like a game of “Mother, May I?” with extra steps and a healthy dose of bureaucratic nonsense from the people in charge.

Well, hold onto your hats, because Florida seems to have taken that ‘let’s complicate adulthood’ memo to a whole new level, and the fight has now landed squarely on the Supreme Court’s doorstep. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has officially asked the highest court in the land to take a good, hard look at a Florida law that decided Americans between 18 and 20 are apparently not grown-up enough to purchase rifles and long guns.

So, What’s the Sunshine State Smoking?

This particular piece of legislative wizardry came about in 2018, in the emotional aftermath of the tragic Parkland school shooting. The stated aim, according to CBS News, was to “address the crisis of violence.” A noble goal, perhaps, but the NRA argues the method tramples all over the constitutional rights of legal adults. Their point is pretty straightforward: if you’re an adult in the eyes of the law for most other things, why the sudden infantilization here?

The NRA didn’t just wake up yesterday and decide to stir the pot; they challenged this law right after it was passed. Unfortunately, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to uphold it, with Chief Judge William Pryor suggesting the restriction is “consistent with our historical tradition of firearm regulation” because, in his view, “minors have yet to reach the age of reason.” Minors? We’re talking about 18-to-20-year-old citizens here.

When Judges Can’t Agree, It’s Time for the Grown-Ups

The NRA, quite rightly, took issue with this rather creative interpretation of adulthood. Their lawyers pointed out the obvious, as reported by The Post Millennial:

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

“The founding-era rule, even by the en banc (full court) majority’s lights, only limited the right to keep and bear arms of legal minors – persons who were not treated as adults for most other purposes and who remained within the care, custody and protection of their parents. But Florida’s law strips the right to acquire firearms from legal adults – 18-to-20-year-olds who enjoy the practical and legal benefits of adulthood, who are not within the custody or protection of their parents, and who often have families of their own.”

And here’s where it gets really interesting. While the 11th Circuit was busy redefining adulthood, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was looking at a similar federal ban – this one on handgun sales to adults under 21 – and came to a rather different, and many would say, more constitutionally sound conclusion. As Breitbart noted, Judge Edith Hollan Jones, writing for the 5th Circuit majority, didn’t mince words: “Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen-to-twenty-year-old individuals among ‘the people’ whose right to keep and bear arms is protected.” She also pointed out the “scant evidence” that such rights were restricted during the founding era.

Old Enough to Serve, Too Young to… Protect Themselves?

Let’s be honest, the logic here is more tangled than a pair of headphones left in a pocket for a week. As the NRA points out, 18-to-20-year-olds in Florida, and indeed across America, are considered adults for almost everything else. They can vote, enter into contracts, serve on juries, petition the government, and yes, they can be conscripted into the armed services to defend our freedoms.

John Commerford, NRA-ILA executive director, summed it up perfectly, as per Breitbart: “Americans 18 years of age and older are considered adults who can vote, enter into contracts, marry, and enlist and fight for our country. Those same adults are also guaranteed the right to defend themselves through the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” It’s a point so glaringly obvious it’s amazing it even needs to be made. The NRA also cites “strong historical evidence” that the Founding Fathers understood the Second Amendment to protect this very age group.

So, the stage is set. The NRA is asking the Supreme Court to step in and affirm that an 18-year-old adult is, well, an adult, with all the constitutional rights that entails. It’s a chance for the Court to untangle a web of inconsistent rulings and uphold the clear meaning of our nation’s foundational texts. One can only hope a healthy dose of common sense, and constitutional fidelity, prevails.

Key Takeaways:

• The NRA is challenging Florida’s law barring legal adults (18-20) from rifle purchases as unconstitutional.
• Conflicting lower court rulings on adult rights highlight the urgent need for Supreme Court clarification.
• Denying Second Amendment rights to young adults who can vote and serve in the military is a glaring inconsistency.

Sources: The Post Millennial, Breitbart