DUBLIN, GA (May 21, 2021) — Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that FPC Law has filed a new federal Second Amendment lawsuit on behalf of three individual members challenging the State of Georgia’s laws that prevent law-abiding adults under the age of 21 from carrying a loaded firearm in public for self-defense. The case, Baughcum v. Jackson, is part of FPC’s strategic litigation program seeking to restore the right to bear arms throughout the United States. The complaint can be found at FPCLegal.org.

Under Georgia criminal law, individual residents are generally prohibited from carrying loaded handguns in public for self-defense unless they first acquire a “Weapons Carry License” (“WCL”). However, with the exception of active or honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces, law-abiding adults under the age of 21 are prohibited from obtaining one, thus completely denying them the exercise of this important fundamental right.

The plaintiffs’ complaint explains that “[t]hroughout American history, arms carrying was a right available to all peaceable citizens.” And moreover, “adults between 18 and 21 were fully protected by the Second Amendment at the time of its ratification.” It further alleges that the state’s prohibition “is particularly illegitimate as applied to young women,” such as plaintiff Sophie Long, because “[f]emale individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 commit violent offenses at an exceptionally low rate, and there is absolutely no basis for broadly prohibiting them from carrying firearms in public.”

“There is simply no constitutionally acceptable justification for Georgia completely denying a broad class of adults their fundamental, individual right to bear arms,” explained FPC Senior Director of Legal Operations Adam Kraut. “The State’s laws at issue in this case are an unconstitutional ban on carrying arms that violate the rights of these individuals and our similarly situated members. No state is exempt from complying with the Constitution. FPC will fight to restore our clients’ and members’ rights, in this case and others.”

FPC has also filed lawsuits challenging similarly unconstitutional restrictions in California, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Individuals that are interested in joining FPC in the fight for liberty and against tyranny can become a member of the FPC Grassroots Army for just $25 at JoinFPC.org.

Firearms Policy Coalition and its FPC Law team are the nation’s next-generation advocates leading the Second Amendment litigation and research space. Some FPC legal actions include:

• A brief supporting certiorari in NYSRPA v. Bruen, which was granted by the U.S. Supreme Court
• A challenge to Tennessee’s ban on handgun carry by adults under 21 (Basset v. Slatery)
• A challenge to Maryland’s ban on handgun carry (Call v. Jones) 
• A challenge to New Jersey’s ban on handgun carry (Bennett v. Davis)
• A challenge to New York City’s ban on handgun carry (Greco v. New York City)
• A challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on handgun carry by adults under 21 (Lara v. Evanchick)
• A challenge to the federal ban on the sale of handguns and handgun ammunition to adults under 21 years of age (Reese v. ATF)
• A challenge to Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” (Bianchi v. Frosh)
• Challenge to California’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” (Miller v. Calif. Att’y General) 
• A challenge to California’s handgun “roster”, microstamping, and self-manufacturing ban laws (Renna v. Bonta)
• A challenge to Pennsylvania’s laws completely denying the right to carry to individuals who were previously granted relief from prior non-violent convictions and are not currently prohibited from possessing firearms (Suarez v. Evanchick)

For more on these cases and other legal action initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs. FPC Law (FPCLaw.org), the nation’s largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, lead the Second Amendment litigation and research space.