FPC warned Louisiana of the constitutional problem in 2025 and proposed a simple legislative fix—but the State refused. Now FPC is asking a federal court to stop the unconstitutional ban.
LAFAYETTE, LA (September 1, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that it has filed a motion for preliminary injunction in its Pool v. Besson lawsuit, asking the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana to immediately block Louisiana’s ban on handgun carry permits for 18-to-20-year-old adults.
The lawsuit is brought by Louisiana residents Ella Pool, Christian McDuffie, and Charles Matthews, along with FPC. Each individual plaintiff is a peaceable adult between the ages of 18 and 20 who is legally eligible to possess firearms and would apply for a Louisiana concealed handgun permit, but is prevented from doing so because of the State’s age restriction.
Louisiana generally allows adults 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. But the State still prohibits 18-to-20-year-old adults from obtaining a Louisiana concealed handgun permit. That ban has significant real-world consequences, including restrictions on carrying within 1,000 feet of school grounds under federal law and the denial of legal protections Louisiana grants to permit holders.
But this lawsuit could have been avoided if Louisiana had simply fixed the constitutional problem when FPC first raised it.
In April 2025, while FPC was working with Louisiana officials to resolve constitutional problems raised in its Mate v. Wescott litigation to end the State’s non-resident carry permit ban, FPC’s counsel warned Louisiana Solicitor General Ben Aguiñaga that the State’s carry laws also violated the rights of 18-to-20-year-old adults, and provided Louisiana with proposed legislative language addressing both problems. The proposal would have allowed nonresidents to obtain Louisiana permits and lowered the minimum carry permit age from 21 to 18.
Instead, despite having FPC’s proposed language in hand, Louisiana moved forward by addressing the non-resident carry permit ban while leaving the 21-year-old permit restriction intact. The State then let another legislative session come and go in 2026 without fixing the constitutional violation. Meanwhile, Louisiana continues to enforce a law that denies peaceable 18-to-20-year-old adults rights and legal protections available to other adults.
“We told Louisiana about this constitutional problem and gave them a simple way to fix it in early 2025. And by then, the Fifth Circuit had already made clear in our Reese v. ATF victory that the rights of 18-to-20-year-old adults are protected under the Second Amendment. Louisiana had ample notice, a perfect solution, and two legislative sessions to act. They refused. That’s on the State,” said FPC President Brandon Combs.
FPC’s motion argues that Louisiana’s ban cannot survive the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment test. The Fifth Circuit has already held in FPC’s Reese win that 18-to-20-year-old adults are part of “the people” protected by the Second Amendment and that there is no historical tradition supporting categorical firearm restrictions against them. FPC is asking the court to immediately block enforcement of Louisiana’s 21-year-old minimum age requirement while the case proceeds so that 18-to-20-year-old adults can apply for a carry permit.
“We offered to resolve this issue with a consent decree and settlement, but the State refused. Our plaintiffs are being denied their rights today, so we have no choice but to seek relief,” said Combs. “When we tell you there’s a constitutional problem, you should take it seriously. If you have an unconstitutional law on the books—red state, blue state, or purple state, it doesn’t matter—we’re coming for it. Government officials do not get to knowingly violate constitutional rights and then tell the people they are harming to wait for politicians to maybe fix the problem someday.”
FPC also made clear that it is eager to help states clean up unconstitutional laws before litigation becomes necessary. Earlier this year, FPC launched the FPC State Freedom Index, where gun owners and policymakers can explore an interactive map, compare states, and identify laws that should be repealed.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to work with states to identify unconstitutional laws and craft legislation to eliminate them. But the Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and refusing to act is not an option. Someone’s lawyers are going to fix these laws—either yours or ours. We hope states will take us up on our offer and work together to get this important work done,” concluded Combs.
The motion and other case documents in Pool v. Besson can be viewed at firearmspolicy.org/pool.
Individuals who want to support important lawsuits like this one can join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.
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About Firearms Policy Coalition
Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) is a nonprofit membership organization that exists to create a world of maximal individual liberty and eliminate unconstitutional gun control laws. FPC works—and wins—for the People through high-impact strategic litigation, groundbreaking research, legislative and regulatory advocacy, grassroots activism, education, and public engagement. FPC’s legal division, FPC Law, is the nation’s leading initiative dedicated to restoring the right to keep and bear arms across the United States. To learn more about how FPC is working—and winning—for the People, sign up for FPC news alerts at firearmspolicy.org and follow FPC on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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