Attorney General Tong Issues Statement Following Federal Court’s Decision Upholding Connecticut’s Handgun Age Restriction
07/27/2026
(Hartford, CT)- Attorney General William Tong today announced a major victory defending Connecticut’s firearm safety laws after a federal court upheld the state’s restrictions on possession and purchase of handguns by individuals under the age of 21.
In Succow v Bondi, U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala ruled that Connecticut’s age-based handgun restrictions do not violate the Second Amendment. The lawsuit was filed by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and two Connecticut residents, Zachary Succow and Samuel Towne, who claimed Connecticut’s laws prohibiting individuals under 21 from obtaining pistol permits or possessing handguns violated their constitutional rights.
“This is a major victory for commonsense gun safety and for Connecticut families. The court rejected another radical challenge to dismantle Connecticut’s gun safety laws and affirmed what we’ve argued from the start. These age restrictions are constitutional and they save lives. We will continue to fight the reckless attempts to weaken Connecticut’s gun safety protections,” said Attorney General Tong.
Following a two-day bench trial, the judge ruled in favor of the State on every major issue, finding that Succow lacked standing to bring this challenge and that Connecticut’s laws are consistent with the nation’s history of regulating under-21-year-olds' ability to obtain and carry handguns. The court also upheld the constitutionality of federal laws restricting the sale of handguns to under-21-year-olds.
Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of the Special Litigation Section Maura Murphy, Assistant Attorneys General Blake Sullivan, James Belforti, and Tim Holzman assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
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