DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds unconstitutional

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds…?

Of the 68 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 22% are rated left, 35% are rated centre, 43% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 78. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds… left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 68 rated outlets on this story, 22% are rated left, 35% are rated centre, 43% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds… biased?

DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds unconstitutional is one event reported by 78 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds…?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered DOJ legal opinion finds handgun sales ban for 18-20 year olds…?

78 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What did the Justice Department's legal opinion conclude?

The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion stating that a federal law prohibiting licensed dealers from selling handguns to individuals aged 18-20 is unconstitutional because it violates Second Amendment rights. This suggests federal prosecutors may stop pursuing felony charges against dealers selling to this age group.

Is the Justice Department's opinion legally binding?

No, the opinion issued by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is not legally binding and does not create precedent. It is a legal interpretation that suggests a change in prosecutorial approach rather than a court ruling.

What was the reaction to the Justice Department's opinion?

The pro-gun control organization GIFFORDS criticised the decision, calling it a move to please the gun lobby. They stated that 18-20 year olds are responsible for a disproportionate share of shootings and vowed to fight the decision.