Florida Law Banning Gun Sales to Young People Faces Scrutiny

Florida defended its law banning gun sales to people under 21 to a partly skeptical Eleventh Circuit, as courts around the country grapple with firearm age restrictions.

“At the Founding, minors were effectively restricted from purchasing firearms,” Florida Deputy Solicitor General Christopher Baum said at oral argument Tuesday, noting that during the nation’s Founding, people under 21 couldn’t freely enter into contracts.

“Your word ‘effective’ is doing a lot of work there because as far as I can tell there was no actual restriction on purchase,” Judge Andrew L. Brasher said.

The challenged Florida law was adopted in the wake ...