July 22, 2026 — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a new federal Second Amendment lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s unconstitutional prohibition on issuing handgun carry permits to peaceable adults under 21. The case, Pool v. Hodges, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. FPC also filed a motion for summary judgment seeking a prompt final judgment against the unconstitutional ban.
Federal law separately generally prohibits firearm possession on or within 1,000 feet of an elementary or secondary school unless the person has a carry license issued by the state where the school is located. But Louisiana prohibits adults under 21 from obtaining a handgun carry permit. As a result, these adults are trapped within a sprawling network of invisible “gun-free zones” where they cannot lawfully carry a firearm. Neither so-called “constitutional carry” laws nor a license recognized only through reciprocity exempt people from criminal liability for carrying in these “gun-free zones.” By denying carry licenses to adults under 21, Louisiana prevents them from lawfully carrying through vast portions of the State as they go about their daily lives.
In addition to its litigation efforts, FPC is also working to eliminate the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) and preempt state and local restrictions that undermine the right to bear arms through federal legislation.
FPC’s Pool lawsuit follows the Fifth Circuit’s binding decision in FPC’s Reese v. ATF case, which held that peaceable 18-to-20-year-old adults are part of “the People” protected by the Second Amendment and struck down the federal handgun and handgun-ammunition sales ban for that age group. Under Reese, Louisiana’s age-based licensing restriction cannot survive constitutional scrutiny.
“The Fifth Circuit has already made it crystal clear that peaceable 18-to-20-year-old adults are among ‘the People’ protected by the Second Amendment and enjoy the same right to keep and bear arms as every other adult. Yet Louisiana denies them access to the permits they need to fully exercise their right to bear arms in public, trapping them in a sprawling maze of invisible gun-free zones created and enforced through state and federal law. That is not constitutional carry—it is blatant constitutional infringement. We filed this lawsuit and moved for summary judgment to end this unconstitutional restriction and force Louisiana to treat adults like adults. FPC and our Grassroots Army will continue to Fight Forward until every immoral and unconstitutional restriction on the right to keep and bear arms is eliminated throughout the United States,” explained FPC President Brandon Combs.
The Supreme Court also recently declined to review Pennsylvania’s appeal in FPC’s Lara case, leaving in place a Third Circuit victory recognizing that 18-to-20-year-old adults have a constitutionally protected right to bear arms. FPC secured another major victory against an age-based carry restriction in the Eighth Circuit’s Worth decision, further confirming that governments cannot deny peaceable adults their Second Amendment rights merely because they are under 21.
Pool v. Hodges is part of FPC’s massive nationwide Second Amendment litigation campaign to eliminate unconstitutional gun control and restore the right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States. That campaign includes FPC’s Viramontes v. Cook County challenge to so-called “assault weapon” bans, which the Supreme Court recently agreed to hear. Through these and dozens of other cases, FPC is working to restore the People’s right and ability to keep and bear arms where, when, and how they choose.
The plaintiffs include FPC and individual FPC members Ella Pool and Christian McDuffie. They are represented by Bradley A. Benbrook, Stephen M. Duvernay, and Jamie G. McWilliam of Benbrook Law Group, P.C., and George J. Armbruster III of Armbruster & Associates, APLC.
Contact: [email protected]
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.
Read the full article here
