Louisiana has one of the country’s broadest concealed carry laws.
If you’re 18 and legally allowed to possess a firearm, you can carry a concealed handgun without asking the government for permission.
But there’s one thing you still can’t do.
You can’t get the state’s concealed handgun permit.
A new federal lawsuit argues that contradiction violates the Second Amendment.
The Firearms Policy Coalition filed suit Wednesday against Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges, challenging the state’s requirement that applicants be at least 21 years old to obtain a concealed handgun license. The organization is asking a federal judge to strike down the age restriction without holding a trial.
The right to carry — but not the license
Since 2024, Louisiana has allowed most adults 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without a permit.
Even so, the state’s licensing system still bars anyone under 21 from obtaining a concealed handgun permit.
That distinction has consequences.
Federal law generally prohibits possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school unless one of several exceptions applies. One of those exceptions covers people who hold a concealed carry license issued by the state where the school is located.
According to the lawsuit, that means an 18-year-old may legally carry a concealed handgun under Louisiana law but could still lose the protection of the federal school-zone exemption because the state refuses to issue a permit.
The plaintiffs argue that, with schools scattered throughout cities and towns, young adults can easily find themselves crossing into restricted areas during ordinary daily activities.
Fifth Circuit decision forms the backbone of the case
The lawsuit leans heavily on the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Reese v. ATF, which held that adults between 18 and 20 are part of “the people” protected by the Second Amendment and struck down a federal ban on handgun sales by licensed dealers to that age group.
Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs said Louisiana’s permit restriction cannot be squared with that ruling.
“The Fifth Circuit has already made it crystal clear that peaceable 18-to-20-year-old adults are among ‘the People’ protected by the Second Amendment,” Combs said.
He argued the state has created an inconsistent system by recognizing young adults’ right to carry while denying them the license that unlocks additional legal protections.
“That is not constitutional carry,” Combs said. “It is blatant constitutional infringement.”
An unusual legal position
The case puts Louisiana in the unusual position of defending a law that allows an 18-year-old to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, training or fingerprinting, yet bars that same person from obtaining a permit after completing the state’s required training and meeting every other qualification.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to prohibit Louisiana from enforcing the minimum-age requirement and to allow otherwise qualified adults between 18 and 20 to apply for concealed handgun licenses.
State officials had not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of Thursday.
The case is Pool v. Hodges.
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