DOJ Tells Fifth Circuit It Won't Enforce Under-21 Handgun Ban Anywhere

The Justice Department just took federal prosecution off the table for dealers who sell handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds, and left everything else on the counter. Its Oct. 5 Fifth Circuit brief says the under-21 ban won't be enforced "against anyone, anywhere," but the statute, ATF's regulation and the Form 4473 haven't changed, and state age-21 laws still bind. A dealer who sells on the strength of a court brief is making a compliance bet ATF hasn't written down yet.