Saying the restriction is "consistent with our historical tradition of firearm regulation," a federal appeals court on Friday upheld the constitutionality of a Florida law that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of a Florida law that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21. The 8-4 decision comes after a lengthy legal battle initiated by the National Rifle Association (NRA) following the 2018 Parkland school shooting.

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the constitutionality of a Florida law that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21.

Gun rights advocates have been fighting to overturn a Florida law setting the minimum age to buy a gun at 21 since the day the measure was signed, in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,