Attorney General Todd Blanche Meets With President Trump - Then Ruins Every Democrat's Day With Shock Announcement
The Justice Department announced Friday that it considers the federal prohibition on licensed gun dealers selling handguns to adults ages 18 to 20 unconstitutional and will no longer seek criminal penalties against dealers for violating the restriction.
The conclusion came in a new opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which determined that the decades-old age restriction cannot be reconciled with the Second Amendment under recent Supreme Court precedent.
Federal law has generally prohibited federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21. Adults ages 18 to 20 have been permitted under federal law to purchase rifles and shotguns from licensed dealers and, subject to state law, could acquire handguns through certain private transactions.
The restriction dates to the Gun Control Act of 1968.
Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser, who leads the Office of Legal Counsel, argued that 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds fall squarely within “the people” whose right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Constitution.
“Eighteen-year-olds may vote, serve on juries, be drafted, and face adult criminal penalties,” Gaiser said in announcing the decision.
The Justice Department said its analysis was based largely on the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen and subsequent Second Amendment cases.
Under the framework established by those rulings, the government must demonstrate that a firearms restriction is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of gun regulation once conduct falls within the Second Amendment’s text.
The Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the government could not identify a sufficiently comparable historical tradition of preventing otherwise law-abiding adults under 21 from purchasing firearms.
Instead, the opinion noted that militia laws during the Founding era commonly required men beginning at age 18 to serve and provide their own weapons.
The Justice Department therefore concluded that federal prosecutors may not impose criminal penalties on licensed dealers who sell handguns to otherwise eligible adults between 18 and 20.
The opinion does not formally erase the federal statutes from the books, however.
An Office of Legal Counsel opinion does not itself strike down an act of Congress or create binding precedent for federal courts. It instead establishes the Justice Department’s legal position and is expected to mean federal prosecutors will stop bringing cases against licensed dealers solely for selling handguns to otherwise lawful purchasers in that age group.
The constitutional issue has divided federal courts.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the federal restriction violates the Second Amendment, while the 4th Circuit reached the opposite conclusion. Other federal appeals courts have issued conflicting rulings involving similar state restrictions on firearm purchases by adults under 21.
The Supreme Court has not yet issued a definitive ruling on whether the federal handgun-purchase restriction for 18- to 20-year-olds survives the constitutional test established in Bruen.
Gun-control organizations criticized Friday’s announcement.
Everytown Law said the administration’s decision would prevent federal prosecutors from enforcing an existing public-safety restriction, while GIFFORDS argued that the Justice Department was declining to defend a law enacted by Congress.
The opinion does not eliminate other federal restrictions on firearm purchases.
Adults ages 18 to 20 would still be subject to background checks and federal prohibitions applying to people barred from possessing firearms for reasons such as certain felony convictions. State laws imposing their own minimum-age requirements also raise separate legal questions and are not automatically invalidated by the Justice Department’s opinion.
Friday’s announcement is the latest Second Amendment policy change by the Trump administration. The Justice Department has also created a dedicated Second Amendment Section within its Civil Rights Division and this week sued San Jose, California, challenging the city’s nearly $1,600 concealed-carry permit fee as unconstitutional.
For now, the most immediate effect of the new opinion is a significant change in federal enforcement policy.
Letitia 'No One's Above the Law' James Just Got Sued And You Won't Stop Clapping
Letitia ‘No One’s Above the Law’ James Just Got Sued And You Won’t Stop Clapping
New York Attorney General Letitia James loves to sermonize that “No one is above the law,” but her record shows she really means “No one named Trump is above my political agenda.” Her entire campaign was a single-issue crusade built on the promise to “Get Trump,” and she delivered by filing a bizarre, victimless “fraud” case against him that even the banks involved openly rejected. Not one financial institution claimed harm. Not one lender said they wouldn’t do business with him again.
But that didn’t stop Judge Arthur Engoron—whose bias was obvious from the bench—from imposing an eye-watering, politically convenient fine of nearly half a billion dollars. It was so grotesquely disproportionate that an appeals court finally tossed it in August, delivering a much-needed reality check to James’s lawfare spectacle.
That’s Letitia James in a nutshell—always pushing the ethical limits, always using the weight of her office to intimidate anyone she marks as a political foe. Bullying isn’t an unfortunate byproduct of her approach; it is her approach.
So it’s hardly shocking that a school board chair in New York is now suing the attorney general, accusing James of threatening to oust board members who refused to bow to the progressive orthodoxy on allowing biological men into women’s sports:
The alleged threats came in a “guidance letter” [from James] that warned of the removal of any school board member who uses the wrong pronoun for a trans person, or if they allow students to publicly speak out at school board meetings about their fears and discomfort with student trans athletes using the wrong locker room for their biological sex.
A plaintiff in the suit, Massapequa Union Free School District Board Chair Kerry Wachter, alleged she was told that James’ office instructed her to mute and dismiss any board meeting speaker that expressed views opposing trans athletes in girls’ locker rooms and sports.
Massapequa Union Free School District Board Chair Kerry Wachter, alleged she was told that James' office instructed her to mute and dismiss any board meeting speaker that expressed views opposing trans athletes in girls' locker rooms and sports.
Wachter says James’ intimidation tactics are designed to intimidate her and others into silence:
“They’re saying if we allow this discussion in our board meetings, she can come in and remove us from the board,” Wachter told Fox News Digital. “They want me to stop public comment and stop them from speaking.”
Wachter added that trans students were not being directly named in any board meetings, and conversations were only based around the feelings and concerns of female students.
James claimed that school board members can be removed when “they willfully neglect their duty or violate legal protections for students in their districts.” She went on to add that the state’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) bars harassment and bullying.
Nevertheless, Attorney Kim Hermann from the Southeastern Legal Foundation has a note for James – There is an important constitutional principle known as the First Amendment.
“The First Amendment here reigns true, and so whether or not you have these state laws, a state cannot come in and just erase the First Amendment out of the Constitution,” Hermann said, per Fox News. “Whether or not statements and discussions about transgender and these different policies actually violate those state laws is absolutely irrelevant for what we’re talking about in this lawsuit.
James has shown time and again that she’s not an impartial public servant but a partisan enforcer, eager to weaponize her office against anyone who lands on her enemies list. She doesn’t just stretch her authority — she twists it into a political bludgeon.
If there’s any justice left in New York, this lawsuit will stick and finally force some accountability. Frankly, it’s long past time someone pushed back.
‘Squad’ Democrat Arrested for Protesting Israel’s Netanyahu at U.N.
‘Squad’ Democrat Candidate Arrested At Netanyahu Protest
A New York Democrat was arrested Thursday during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the United Nations.
Darializa Avila Chevalier was charged with disorderly conduct outside United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, according to police cited by Bloomberg.
Avila Chevalier defeated five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat in June’s primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District.
The district includes parts of Harlem and the Bronx and strongly favors Democrats in the general election.
Her victory removed the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and handed Mayor Zohran Mamdani another political win.
Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier, who campaigned against continued American support for Israel during its war against Hamas.
The protest unfolded as Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly and defended Israel against accusations over its Gaza campaign.
Jewish Voice for Peace organized a demonstration outside the building that drew about 200 participants, according to Reuters.
Wearing matching white shirts, protesters carried messages including “Fund people not bombs” and “Free Palestine.”
Some participants sat on First Avenue and blocked traffic while police ordered them to clear the roadway.
Several moved to the sidewalks, but others stayed seated as officers arrived and began making arrests.
Reuters initially reported at least 30 arrests, while CBS New York later cited police sources estimating about 100.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist overwhelmingly favored in the race for a House seat representing part of New York City, was arrested while protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations. https://t.co/aR3PCM0d5Y
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 24, 2026
Avila Chevalier defended her participation and called Netanyahu a war criminal in a statement to City & State New York.
She said she would not allow him to walk through the city without facing public opposition.
The Democratic nominee also accused Israel of killing or injuring more than 64,000 children in Gaza.
That figure was her claim, and the reports reviewed for this article did not independently establish it.
“Netanyahu belongs at the Hague,” Avila Chevalier said in another statement after her arrest, according to Bloomberg.
New York City Council member Chi Ossé was arrested at the protest and denounced American financial support for Israel.
“I’m sick and tired of my taxpayer dollars going towards an active genocide,” Ossé told PIX11.
The demonstrations also drew entertainers, including actors Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder, who police took into custody.
Police sources also identified whistleblower Chelsea Manning, comedian Caleb Hearon, and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher among those arrested, CBS reported.
Some protesters chanted against Netanyahu while police secured their hands with zip ties and escorted them to buses.
Supporters of Israel also gathered nearby, and CBS reported that confrontations between opposing groups sometimes escalated into fistfights.
Inside the General Assembly, dozens of delegations walked out as Netanyahu began speaking, while others applauded him.
Netanyahu sharply rejected allegations of genocide and criticized Mamdani during his address to the world body.
“Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century,” Netanyahu said, according to Bloomberg.
He also argued that Jewish residents no longer feel safe in New York under Mamdani’s leadership.
Mamdani has called Netanyahu a war criminal and previously suggested arresting him if he visited New York.
The mayor later acknowledged that city officials lack authority to execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
That court issued a warrant in 2024 alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Gaza.
Israel disputes the allegations, and neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the court.
Israel says its military campaign targets Hamas after the terrorist group’s October 7, 2023, attack.
The attack killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 others, according to Israeli authorities.
Gaza health officials report tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths, with their overall tally combining civilians and fighters.
Avila Chevalier’s victory reflected that divide, as her campaign challenged Espaillat’s support for the longtime American ally, The Washington Post reported.
Mamdani-backed candidates Brad Lander and Claire Valdez also won New York congressional primaries in June.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
