Florida Concealed Carry Rights
Florida Appeals Court Rules Adults Under 21 Have Right to Carry Concealed Weapons
A Florida appeals court ruled on June 18, 2026, that adults aged 18 to 20 have the same right to carry a concealed weapon as older adults. The Fourth District Court of Appeal's unanimous three-judge panel found that Florida's ban on concealed carry for that age group violates the Second Amendment, according to Herald Tribune.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the state will not appeal the decision. That choice effectively ends the legal fight over the age restriction and immediately extends concealed carry rights to roughly 850,000 to 900,000 Floridians aged 18 to 20, according to Florida Today.
2018 Parkland Law at the Heart of the Case
The law struck down on June 18 was passed on March 9, 2018, just weeks after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland. A 19-year-old carried out that attack using a legally purchased semi-automatic rifle. Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the law to raise the minimum age to buy or carry a firearm from 18 to 21, according to The Ledger.
The 2018 law passed the Florida House 67–50 and the Senate 20–18. It was one of the few times Florida passed major gun restrictions in a generation. The new court ruling wipes out its core age-restriction pillar, according to Tallahassee.com.
Supreme Court's 'History and Tradition' Test Drives the Ruling
The court leaned heavily on a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case called NYSRPA v. Bruen. That ruling said gun laws must match the country's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The Florida court found no founding-era evidence that 18-to-20-year-olds were ever stripped of the right to carry arms, according to St. Augustine Record.
The panel called 18-to-20-year-olds "legal adults" who were historically part of the militia. A Broward County judge had already reached the same conclusion in October 2025, in a case involving a 19-year-old in Plantation, FL. The Fourth District's ruling makes that decision binding statewide, according to Ocala.com.
AG Uthmeier Refuses to Defend the Law, Sparking Political Fight
Attorney General James Uthmeier did not just accept the ruling — he declined to defend the law before it was struck down. He argued that "men and women old enough to fight and die for our country should be able to purchase firearms to defend themselves," according to PNJ.
Critics called the move a betrayal of the families affected by the Parkland shooting. Democratic lawmakers framed it as breaking a "Parkland Promise." Republicans called it a constitutional victory. The decision will likely become a flashpoint in Florida's 2026 election cycle, according to Gainesville.com.
Florida Now Among the Most Permissive Gun States in the U.S.
This ruling does not stand alone. In September 2025, a Florida appeals court struck down the state's ban on open carry. Combined, the two decisions mean adults 18 and older can now carry firearms openly or concealed without a permit in Florida, according to Jacksonville.com.
Florida received over $28 million in additional state funding for FY 2025–26 to handle higher volumes of background checks. Other states with reciprocity agreements with Florida may now have to review those deals if they do not allow 18-year-olds to carry. Public health groups like Everytown for Gun Safety warned the ruling will increase suicide and impulsive violence risks among young adults, according to NWF Daily News.
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