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<\/p>\n
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
October 24, 2023<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) filed a\u00a0notice of appeal with the 5th\u00a0Federal Circuit<\/a>\u00a0in their\u00a0lawsuit challenging\u00a0de facto\u00a0waiting periods<\/a>\u00a0for NICS background checks on gun buyers under the age of 21.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This new policy is a result of the\u00a0Bipartisan Safer Communities Act<\/em>, also known as the Cornyn-Murphy gun control package, which passed last summer. Under the law, unconstitutional waiting periods are being imposed on young adults because a review of juvenile justice records, state mental health records, and those from local law enforcement where the buyer resides is now required. This review is in addition to those records already held by the FBI background check system. Because state and local agencies are not equipped or prepared to provide this new information in a timely manner, young gun buyers are simply forced to wait with no recourse, which is a clear violation of their Second Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Below is a selection from the brief filed by GOA and GOF today:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “The district court correctly found that Plaintiffs cleared Bruen\u2019s initial hurdle, concluding that ‘Plaintiffs have sufficiently shown that their conduct is covered by the Second Amendment.’\u00a0 \u2026 Rejecting the government\u2019s attempts to muddy a uniform historical record of adults age 18-20 routinely possessing and using firearms without any special limitation or restriction, the court correctly concluded that it \u2018appears Plaintiffs are within \u201cthe people\u201d envisioned by the Second Amendment.\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n “Indeed, the overwhelming weight of authority favors Plaintiffs\u2019 position that the Second Amendment applies to them.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Erich Pratt, GOA\u2019s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe District Court Judge in our case essentially agreed with all of the points that we made, and yet, he still frustratingly ruled against us. It is imperative that the 5th\u00a0Circuit quickly review our case and grant an injunction or TRO to halt this blatant assault on the rights of young Americans.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sam Paredes, on behalf of the Board for GOF, added:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSenator Cornyn\u2019s \u2018compromise\u2019 on gun control made a large chunk of Americans second class citizens overnight, and GOA and GOF are committed to fighting back until we defeat this law in court.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n GOA spokesmen are available for interviews.\u00a0 Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit\u00a0GOA\u2019s Press Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n