Florida court says 18-year-olds have same gun rights as other adults

A Florida appellate court ruled unanimously that the state's ban on concealed carry for adults ages 18-20 violates the Second Amendment, finding that young adults deserve the same constitutional protections as older adults. Judge Spencer D. Levine's opinion cites founding-era militia laws requiring 18-year-olds to serve armed and applies recent Supreme Court precedents (Heller, Bruen, Rahimi) to strike down the restriction enacted after the 2018 Parkland shooting. The reporting is sourced from the actual court opinion and includes specific quotes from Judge Levine and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's statement declining to appeal, demonstrating solid journalistic sourcing; byline is present (Jasmine Baehr, Breaking News Writer). Independent news search from Sun-Sentinel, CBS12, and AmmoLand corroborates the core facts—the ruling, its constitutional basis, and the AG's non-appeal decision—though no coverage appears to include counterarguments from gun-control advocates or detailed analysis of the policy implications beyond the court's reasoning. Watch for implementation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and potential related litigation in other states with similar age restrictions.