A Historic Win for Gun Rights Out of the 5th Circuit

In a development gun rights commentators call “breaking,” a federal court in Louisiana has entered final judgment striking down the federal handgun-sales ban for adults ages 18–20 – at least for certain plaintiffs inside the Fifth Circuit. Jared Yanis of Guns & Gadgets reports that Judge Robert R. Summerhays entered judgment on October 7, 2025, in Reese v. ATF, declaring 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1) unconstitutional under the Second Amendment for the covered plaintiffs and enjoining enforcement in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. 

Braden Langley of Langley Outdoors Academy agrees it’s a significant Second Amendment win – but he flags a controversy that instantly lit up the gun-rights world: the court also ordered the plaintiff organizations to give the government a verified list of their members as of November 6, 2020.

What the Case Is About, According to Guns & Gadgets

As Jared Yanis explains, federal law has long barred federally licensed dealers (FFLs) from selling handguns and handgun ammunition to 18–20-year-olds, even though the same age group can buy long guns and is treated as fully adult for voting, military service, marriage, contracts, and more. The plaintiffs – Caleb Reese, Joseph Granich, Emily Naquin, and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), and Louisiana Shooting Association (LSA) – argued that the ban cannot stand after Heller and Bruen, because there’s no historical tradition of age-based handgun restrictions for law-abiding adults. The Fifth Circuit agreed earlier this year and sent the case back for final judgment, which Judge Summerhays has now entered, says Yanis.

The Ruling’s Scope: A Win, But Not for Everyone

Per Jared Yanis, the court declared the federal provisions unconstitutional as applied to (1) the three individual plaintiffs and (2) persons who were members of SAF, FPC, or LSA as of November 6, 2020. The court then enjoined the ATF and Attorney General from enforcing those provisions against the covered plaintiffs within the Fifth Circuit (Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas). Yanis emphasizes: this isn’t nationwide, and it’s not a blanket green light for all 18–20-year-olds. Covered buyers still must pass a NICS background check and meet all other legal requirements.

The Controversy: “Member Lists” to DOJ and ATF

Here’s where Braden Langley says the “Sour Patch” moment hits. The court ordered the organizations to provide within 21 days a verified list of their members as of the filing date (November 6, 2020), ostensibly to define who’s protected by the injunction. Langley relays that FPC blasted the order as “legally baseless and morally bankrupt” and pledged it has “never provided a list of its members to the government and never will.” According to Yanis, SAF’s Bill Sack likewise said SAF will not turn over membership lists and is evaluating legal options.

Is It a “Registry”? Langley’s Nuanced Take

Braden Langley addresses a claim circulating online that the government is building a “registry of gun owners.” He breaks with that characterization: the order seeks membership lists, not a list of firearms, and being an SAF/FPC/LSA member doesn’t prove gun ownership. He still calls the demand “horrible and bad,” but argues conflating it with a firearm registry waters down the separate fight over true registries. I agree with Langley’s caution on terminology – but I share the alarm about compelled disclosure. Forced lists of members implicate associational privacy and can chill participation in advocacy groups across the political spectrum.

The “Sour Patch” Win: Sweet Victory, Sour Implementation

Langley also points out a practical oddity: the protection applies to those who were members back in 2020, and many 18–20-year-old plaintiffs from then have aged out of the category. That, he says, blunts the immediate impact – even as the legal principle is a clear win. Yanis concurs the decision is “huge” on the merits while urging FFLs in the Fifth Circuit to wait for verification protocols on membership before making sales to covered buyers. My view: the court delivered a strong constitutional holding but then hedged with procedural gatekeeping (membership cutoffs, list demands) that invites fast appellate cleanup.

Why the Fifth Circuit’s Logic Matters

Jared Yanis ties the outcome to Heller (handguns are “the quintessential self-defense weapon”) and Bruen (modern gun restrictions must fit America’s history and tradition). The government couldn’t show a historical analogue for a categorical ban on dealer handgun sales to law-abiding adult citizens ages 18–20. That doctrinal core is the ballgame: if 18 means adult for nearly every civic duty and right, Bruen makes age-based bans extremely hard to justify. Expect this reasoning to reverberate into licensing and carry rules that discriminate against 18–20-year-olds.

What This Means in the Fifth Circuit Right Now

Per Yanis, if you are 18–20 and either (a) one of the three individual plaintiffs, or (b) you were an SAF/FPC/LSA member as of Nov. 6, 2020, and you live in LA, MS, or TX, an FFL can sell you a handgun or handgun ammo notwithstanding §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1). FFLs should still run NICS and comply with all other laws. Yanis advises dealers to await clarity on how to verify the protected status of would-be buyers – especially since the groups are refusing to hand over member lists.

The Next Moves: Appeals, Emergency Motions, and the Road to SCOTUS

Langley predicts the organizations will seek emergency relief on the member-list issue and press the Fifth Circuit – or ultimately the Supreme Court – to broaden relief beyond the 2020 membership snapshot. Yanis notes a broader, national fight is possible if the government appeals, but that could backfire by inviting a Supreme Court decision that nationalizes the Fifth Circuit’s view. My read: the list-demand is a weak flank. Courts have historically been skeptical of forced disclosure that chills lawful association. I expect a swift motion practice – and a narrowed or stayed list requirement.

The Policy Stakes Beyond Guns

Langley argues the list-demand should worry everyone, not just gun owners. If a court can force any advocacy group (right, left, or center) to hand its member rolls to the government to enjoy constitutional relief, the chilling effect could be profound. Imagine compelled lists for ACLU, NAACP, Turning Point, or Planned Parenthood donors in other contexts. I agree with Langley: whatever your politics, associational privacy is a cornerstone of civic life. The core Second Amendment win shouldn’t be paired with a penalty that deters people from joining groups that vindicate rights.

Bottom Line from Both Sources – And My Take

From Guns & Gadgets (Jared Yanis): This is a “huge” Second Amendment victory aligning with Heller and Bruen, immediately operative (albeit limited) in the Fifth Circuit, and proof that 18–20-year-olds aren’t second-class citizens under the Constitution. From Langley Outdoors Academy (Braden Langley): It’s a “Sour Patch” ruling – sweet on the merits, sour in execution via a membership-list demand and a narrow class definition that leaves many practical beneficiaries on the sidelines – yet still a crucial step that sets up the next appeal and, potentially, a nationwide resolution.

A Landmark That Needs a Clean Finish

The Fifth Circuit’s analysis is the historic part: age-based bans on dealer handgun sales to adult citizens don’t square with our history and tradition. That’s where the law is headed. The district court’s member-list condition and time-locked class definition, however, are speed bumps that courts should remove quickly. Protecting core rights should not require citizens to surrender associational privacy. Strip out that overreach, broaden relief to fit the Fifth Circuit’s holding, and this becomes what it should be: a clean, durable win for constitutional equality for young adults under the Second Amendment.

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