SAN FRANCISCO (June 30, 2025) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that the organization has commenced appellate briefing at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Poway Weapons & Gear v. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, FPC’s challenge to California’s ban on firearm purchases by adults under the age of 21.
“This case, in essence, presents a simple yet profound question: may a peaceable citizen of this Nation, legally dependent on no one but himself or herself for care and protection, nevertheless be deprived of the right to keep and bear arms on account of age? The Second Amendment, which is premised on the understanding that the peaceable citizens of this Nation are entitled to bear arms for their own defense, demands that the answer to this question be no,” the brief says.
“The vast majority of courts across the country have held that the Second Amendment applies to adults under 21. But despite clear Supreme Court precedent and all of those rulings, the district court in this case wrongly upheld the ban in a highly flawed decision. The Ninth Circuit should correct course, hold that California’s ban is unconstitutional, and strike it down,” said FPC President Brandon Combs.
The brief can be viewed at firearmspolicy.org/jones. FPC has been joined in this case by individual and firearm retailer FPC members as well as the California Gun Rights Foundation and Second Amendment Foundation. The plaintiffs are represented by David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, and William V. Bergstrom of Cooper and Kirk, PLLC, along with John W. Dillon of Dillon Law Group, APC. FPC thanks FPC Action Foundation for its strategic support of this FPC Law case.
Individuals who want to support this important pro-Second Amendment lawsuit and dozens of other cases can join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.
About FPC
Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit membership organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. We work to achieve our strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs. Our FPC Law program is the nation’s preeminent legal action initiative focused on restoring the right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, follow FPC on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
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