No. Massachusetts law requires you to be at least 21 to get a License to Carry (LTC). If you’re 18 to 20, you can apply for a Firearm Identification (FID) card, which covers rifles and shotguns, but you cannot carry a handgun. That said, federal courts across the country are split on whether these age restrictions violate the Second Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court may settle the question soon. Here’s what you need to know.
The Legal Landscape After Bruen
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decided New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. That decision changed the way courts evaluate gun laws. Under Bruen, if the Second Amendment’s text applies to your conduct, the government must prove that the restriction aligns with “this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” The government can’t argue that an age restriction makes good policy. It has to show that similar restrictions existed during the founding era.
This framework opened the door to challenges against laws that block 18-to 20-year-olds from buying or carrying firearms. Those challenges have produced opposite results depending on which federal court hears the case.
What Is a Circuit Split?
The federal court system is divided into regional circuits. Each circuit covers a group of states and has its own Court of Appeals. When two or more circuits reach opposite conclusions on the same legal question, that’s a “circuit split.“
Think of it this way: a court in Texas says a law is unconstitutional, and a court in Colorado says the same type of law is fine. That means your rights depend on where you live. That’s the situation right now with age-based firearms restrictions. A circuit split is one of the strongest signals that the Supreme Court needs to step in and resolve the conflict.
Courts That Have Struck Down Age Restrictions
Three federal circuits have ruled that laws restricting 18-to-20-year-olds’ firearm rights violate the Second Amendment.
Fifth Circuit — Reese v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (January 2025)
The Fifth Circuit in Reese v. ATF (2025) struck down the federal law that barred licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21. The court held that 18-to-20-year-olds are part of “the people” the Second Amendment protects. It pointed to founding-era history showing young adults were not just allowed to own firearms — they were required to possess them for militia service. The government could not identify a historical tradition of blocking this age group from acquiring firearms.
Eighth Circuit — Worth v. Jacobson (July 2024)
Eighth Circuit decision in Worth v. Jacobson (2024) struck down Minnesota’s law requiring permit-to-carry applicants to be at least 21. The court applied the Bruen framework and found the state could not point to a historical tradition of restricting 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying firearms in public. The Supreme Court declined to review this decision in April 2025, leaving the ruling in place.
Third Circuit — Lara v. Commissioner, Pennsylvania State Police (January 2025)
The Third Circuit in Lara v. Commissioner, Pennsylvania State Police (2025) struck down Pennsylvania’s ban on 18-to-20-year-olds carrying firearms in public during declared states of emergency. Like the Fifth and Eighth Circuits, the court held that 18-to-20-year-olds fall within the Second Amendment’s protections and the historical record does not support age-based carry restrictions.
Courts That Have Upheld Age Restrictions
Three circuits have reached the opposite conclusion.
Tenth Circuit — Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Polis (November 2024)
Tenth Circuit ruling in Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Polis (2024) upheld Colorado’s law raising the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21. This court took a different path. Instead of focusing on whether 18-to-20-year-olds are part of “the people,” it relied on language from the Supreme Court in Heller and Bruen suggesting that “laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms” are “presumptively lawful.” The court treated the age restriction as a permissible commercial regulation outside the Second Amendment’s core protections.
Eleventh Circuit — NRA v. Glass (March 2025)
In a fractured en banc decision, the Eleventh Circuit in NRA v. Glass (2025) upheld Florida’s complete ban on firearm purchases by adults under 21. The majority looked to founding-era contract law and reasoned that because minors lacked the legal capacity to enter contracts in 1791, they could not have purchased firearms on their own. Several judges dissented, arguing the majority confused commercial contract capacity with a constitutional right.
Fourth Circuit
The Fourth Circuit precedent in Hirschfeld v. ATF (2021) has also upheld restrictions on 18-to-20-year-olds, adding weight to the side of the split that favors these age-based laws.
The Supreme Court May Step In Soon
The NRA filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to hear NRA v. Glass in May 2025. In a rare move, the State of Florida itself urged the Court to take the case and strike down its own law. Florida’s attorney general argued the Eleventh Circuit got it wrong and that founding-era evidence shows early Americans trusted 18-to-20-year-olds with firearms.
The Court distributed the petition for its November 14, 2025 conference. As of February 2026, the Court has not announced whether it will hear the case. With the Third, Fifth, and Eighth Circuits on one side and the Fourth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits on the other, this is the kind of clean circuit split that pushes the Supreme Court to act.
What This Means for Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires LTC applicants to be at least 21 under M.G.L. Chapter 140. That restriction remains in full force. Massachusetts does not sit within any of the circuits that struck down age-based firearms restrictions, so those rulings have no direct effect here.
But if the Supreme Court takes up NRA v. Glass or a similar case and rules that age-based firearms restrictions violate the Second Amendment, that decision binds every state — including Massachusetts. A ruling like that could force the Commonwealth to issue LTCs to qualified applicants between 18 and 20.
Until that happens, the law is clear: you must be 21 years of age to get an LTC in Massachusetts.
Talk to an Attorney
If you’re between 18 and 20 and have questions about your firearms rights in Massachusetts — or if you face a firearms charge — get advice from someone who knows both Massachusetts firearms law and the fast-moving federal landscape.
Attorney Matthew Peterson is a top-rated Massachusetts Gun attorney who represents people throughout Eastern Massachusetts in firearms licensing matters and criminal defense cases involving gun charges. Contact the Law Office of Matthew Peterson at 617-391-0060 for a consultation.
