Reports: Massachusetts high court upholds carry license ban for ages 18 to 20

Reported by Page 3 – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News and Bearing Arms. Daily Gun News has not independently confirmed this.

Massachusetts' highest court has upheld a rule that bars adults ages 18 to 20 from obtaining a license to carry a handgun, according to reports from two gun news outlets published in late October 2026.

Bearing Arms reported on October 21 that the state's top court had upheld the carry ban for adults under 21.

AmmoLand reported on October 22 that the court based its decision on militia laws from the founding era. According to AmmoLand, the ruling came even though federal courts have reached conflicting conclusions about the Second Amendment rights of young adults, and the outlet described the decision as deepening an existing split among courts on the question.

The reports do not include the name of the case, the vote of the justices, or the text of the opinion, and Daily Gun News has not yet reviewed the court's written decision. The excerpts available also do not describe the facts of the underlying case or how the court applied the historical laws it cited.

What is not yet known: The available reports do not say whether any party plans to seek further review, including a petition to the US Supreme Court, or whether the ruling changes how Massachusetts licensing authorities handle applications from adults under 21. Those details may become clearer once the full opinion is reviewed.