The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit applied the Supreme Court’s “historical tradition” test.

A conservative federal appeals court said Thursday that a federal law banning the sale of handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds is unconstitutional, elevating a significant question about the Second Amendment’s reach in the wake of recent major Supreme Court rulings on gun rights.

A conservative appeals court ruled that the law, which barred the sale of firearms to adults under 21, was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.