Attorney General Nessel Joins Coalition Defending Pennsylvania Law that Prohibits Concealed Carry by Individuals Under 21

LANSING – Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general filing an amicus brief (PDF) urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit to revisit an opinion striking down a Pennsylvania law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed weapons in public and imposing additional restrictions during declared states of emergency. 

In the brief, Attorney General Nessel and the coalition ask the court to review its recent opinion in favor of the plaintiffs in Lara v. Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, a lawsuit challenging a Pennsylvania law that generally restricts the issuance of concealed carry weapons permits to people ages 21 and up. Attorney General Nessel also joined a coalition in 2021 in the same case defending the Pennsylvania law. 

“States have the right to implement commonsense regulations to protect their residents from gun violence,” Nessel said. “I am proud to stand with my colleagues in their efforts to reduce gun violence and enhance public safety.”  

In the brief, Attorney General Nessel and the coalition explain that the court’s opinion, if not corrected, will raise questions about the constitutionality of similar statutes in more than 30 other states with age restrictions on firearms access. The coalition explained those statutes are constitutional because they are consistent with our country’s historical tradition in that states have enacted similar laws for over 150 years. Attorney General Nessel and the coalition argue that the opinion should be reconsidered because its reasoning, if adopted elsewhere, could threaten the states’ ability to defend and enforce all manner of firearms regulations.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. 

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