SAF Sues Massachusetts Over Gun Ban for Young Adults

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Massachusetts’ ban on firearm ownership for adults aged 18 to 20.

The case, Escher v. Mason, takes aim at the state’s new law that prohibits young adults from acquiring, possessing, or carrying any semiautomatic firearm or handgun.

SAF is joined by the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners Action League, Commonwealth Second Amendment, and Firearms Policy Coalition, along with lead plaintiff Mack Escher. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The defendants include Col. Christopher Mason, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, and Heath J. Eldredge, chief of police in Brewster, Mass. They are being sued in their official capacities for enforcing the law, which was signed by Gov. Maura Healey in July 2024.

SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut made it clear:

“Massachusetts’s law barring 18-20-year-olds from being able to acquire, possess, and carry commonly possessed firearms fails to comport with the Constitution’s command. These adult individuals are entitled to the full scope of the Second Amendment’s protections, yet the State has opted to affirmatively treat them as if they have less rights.

SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb added that Massachusetts, like other anti-gun states, tries to justify its restrictions as “gun safety” measures.

“This isn’t about guns, it’s about rights. It’s time for anti-gun officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere to understand that.”

This lawsuit will test whether Massachusetts can strip an entire group of legal adults of their Second Amendment rights.

With major gun rights groups backing the challenge, this case could become a key battle over how far states can go in restricting firearm ownership.

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