The Massachusetts high court on October 20, 2026, held that denying carry licenses until 21 is constitutional under the Second Amendment in a case from Mikai Thomson’s December 2021 Dorchester arrest at age 20, when he fled a traffic stop and discarded a loaded 9mm pistol before conviction for unlicensed possession despite never applying. Justices assumed the text covered the conduct then analogized militia rules requiring parents to arm youths plus common-law infancy barriers to contracts until 21, matching the state’s supervised younger permits and full licenses at 21. Two justices partly dissented wanting deeper historical briefing. The majority relied on an Eleventh Circuit ruling while discounting contrary Third, Eighth, and Fifth Circuit decisions, widening the split, and Thomson may petition the U.S. Supreme Court.