EAST ST. LOUIS, IL (October 21, 2022) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of an amended complaint in Meyer v. Raoul, 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 Illinois. The complaint can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.
“Throughout American history, arms carrying was a right available to all peaceable citizens. Sometimes, it was even a duty,” argues the complaint. “Moreover, young adults between eighteen and twenty-one were fully protected by the Second Amendment at the time of its ratification. Hundreds of statutes from the colonial and founding eras required 18-to-20-year-olds to keep and bear arms.”
“The landmark Bruen decision reiterated the fundamental right to carry a firearm outside the home,” said FPC Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “And 18, 19 and 20 year olds have fundamental rights. Hard stop. It’s time for Illinois, and the other states around the country with similar laws to stop arbitrarily disenfranchising their young adult population. It’s immoral and unconstitutional.”
In addition to Meyer, 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), Beeler v. Skrmetti (vs. Tennessee, in the 6th 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).
FPC is joined in this lawsuit by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
Individuals who would like to Join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to the FPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment 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) is the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.