ederal laws imposing a minimum age of 21 to purchase handguns from licensed dealers violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Why it matters: The ruling could have implications for efforts to restrict gun sales nationally in the future, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: A three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the restrictions unconstitutional, with the opinion stating that 18-year-olds possess a Second Amendment right to gun ownership.

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the federal ban against 18-20-year-olds buying handguns is unconstitutional.

The Majority Opinion by Judge Julius Richardson–joined by Bush 43-appointee Judge Stephen Agree–looked at militia laws in American history and the Founding Fathers’ views that an armed populace made an armed militia possible, allowing the latter to repel a tyrannical government, should the need arise: 

Laws preventing firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under age 21 are unconstitutional, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling that could have implications for efforts to restrict such sales nationally.

In a divided decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the existing minimum age requirement for purchases from federally licensed gun dealers restricts the rights of law-abiding citizens and draws an arbitrary, unjustified line.