Michigan accepted that 19-year-old Martinez Long lawfully stopped an armed mall attacker. It still sentenced him to two years of probation for carrying the pistol that allowed him to intervene.
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Michigan accepted that Martinez Long lawfully stopped an armed attacker at Fairlane Town Center but sentenced him for carrying the pistol without a license. iStock-1184846218
A Michigan judge questioned why 19-year-old Martinez Long brought a gun into a shopping mall—even after Long used that firearm to stop a gunman who had killed one person, wounded another, and continued firing recklessly inside the building. The question answers itself.
Long was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation for carrying a concealed weapon during the July 3 shooting at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn. Prosecutors did not charge him for fatally shooting Cameron Watkins because they determined that Long acted in lawful self-defense or defense of others.
The state accepted that Long’s trigger pull was justified. It punished him for possessing the firearm that made his intervention possible.
Gunfight Erupts Inside Fairlane Town Center
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit, the violence began with a fight involving 19-year-olds Cameron Watkins and Keonte Seaborn.
Watkins reportedly took a handgun from the purse of 19-year-old Cania Cain and shot Seaborn. Watkins then shot another person during a struggle and continued firing recklessly inside the crowded mall.
That was when Long intervened.
Long drew his own handgun and fatally shot Watkins, ending the threat. Seaborn and Watkins both died. The other wounded person survived and was released from the hospital.
The available reporting does not establish how many additional people Watkins might have shot had Long not acted. It does establish that Watkins had already killed one person, wounded another, and was still recklessly firing a gun in a public mall.
Police were called at approximately 1:25 p.m. Long was already there when the threat appeared.
As AmmoLand recently observed after an armed customer stopped a knife-wielding bank robber in Texas, nothing has a faster response time than an armed citizen who is present and willing to act.
Lawful Shooting, Unlawful Carry
Prosecutors charged Long and Cain with carrying concealed weapons without a license. Long was not charged with homicide because his use of deadly force was deemed legally justified.
That distinction exposes the senselessness of the prosecution.
Michigan law requires a person to obtain a Concealed Pistol License before carrying a concealed handgun in public. Under Michigan’s licensing statute, an applicant must be at least 21 years old.
Long was 19. No amount of training, good judgment, clean criminal history, or demonstrated ability to act responsibly could have made him eligible for Michigan’s permission slip.
The state’s position is that Long was mature enough to recognize a deadly threat, decide when lethal force was necessary, accurately engage the attacker, and stop shooting once the threat ended. He was nevertheless supposedly too young to carry the handgun he used to accomplish those things.
Attorney Kostas Moros highlighted that contradiction on X, noting that “reality proved that he indeed did need one.”
Martinez Long was sentenced to two years of probation for carrying a concealed weapon. He had to shoot a gunman, and he faced no charges for that use of lethal force, because it was deemed lawful self-defense. But his underlying carrying of a firearm was illegal because Michigan… pic.twitter.com/NqkmK6Iw2e
— Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas) September 9, 2026
Michigan’s age restriction did not stop Watkins from obtaining and firing a handgun. It only gave prosecutors a way to charge the person who stopped him.
Michigan’s Contradictory Rules for Young Adults
Michigan’s firearm laws create a particularly irrational trap for adults between 18 and 20.
Under federal law, a federally licensed dealer generally cannot sell or deliver a handgun to anyone younger than 21. The Fifth Circuit held that federal prohibition unconstitutional in Reese v. ATF, concluding that 18-to-20-year-olds are among “the people” protected by the Second Amendment. AmmoLand previously covered that decision.
That decision does not automatically invalidate the restriction in Michigan, which sits within the Sixth Circuit, but the constitutional principle is the same: legal adults do not lose an enumerated right because they have not reached an arbitrary birthday.
Michigan itself recognizes that an otherwise qualified 18-year-old may acquire a pistol through a private transaction. A purchaser who does not hold a CPL must first obtain a License to Purchase and comply with the background-check and transfer requirements contained in MCL 28.422.
Michigan nevertheless requires a person to be 21 before obtaining a Concealed Pistol License.
The result is a legal maze in which a 19-year-old may be permitted to acquire and possess a handgun but is categorically denied the license required to carry it concealed for personal protection. Long was not accused of being a prohibited person. His reported charge was carrying a concealed weapon—the firearm he ultimately used to stop Watkins.
The available reports do not explain how Long obtained his pistol or establish whether that acquisition complied with Michigan law. What the case does establish is that Long could not obtain a CPL solely because he was 19.
Judge Questions Why Long Needed Protection
At sentencing, the judge acknowledged that the attorneys and court agreed Long had acted in self-defense or defense of others. He nevertheless criticized Long for carrying the gun and asked:
“Why did you walk into the mall with a gun in the first place?”
Violent criminals do not announce their attacks. They do not provide advance notice. They do not wait for police to arrive. They do not check whether their intended victims have reached their 21st birthdays or received the correct plastic card from the government.
Long’s attorney explained that he carried the firearm for protection and had not planned to use it that day. He did not start the fight or instigate the shooting.
When Watkins began firing, Long used the gun to protect himself and others. That is precisely why people carry defensive firearms.
The judge ultimately imposed two years of probation. According to FOX 2 Detroit’s account of the sentencing, Long must undergo cognitive behavioral therapy, complete court-offered handgun-safety classes, and refrain from possessing firearms or ammunition during his probation.
The handgun-training requirement is particularly ironic as he clearly had it figured out on the day in question. Nothing in the reported facts suggests that Long mishandled his firearm or recklessly fired it. That conduct was attributed to Watkins, the man Long stopped.
Long had no previous criminal record and is working toward earning his GED. If Long completes probation without incident, he should avoid a permanent public conviction. That is better than a prison sentence or lasting felony record, but it does not make the prosecution just.
For two years, the state will supervise him and prohibit him from possessing the very means of protection that proved necessary inside Fairlane Town Center.
Young Adults Are Part of “The People”
Long’s case is not merely about prosecutorial discretion. It demonstrates the real-world consequences of denying Second Amendment rights to adults between 18 and 20.
Federal courts remain divided over age-based firearm restrictions. The Fifth Circuit has held that adults under 21 are among “the people” protected by the Second Amendment. Other courts have strained to preserve these prohibitions, including a federal judge who recently used Founding-era contract law and the “infancy doctrine” to uphold Hawaii’s under-21 gun ban.
The Second Amendment does not establish one set of rights for adults over 21 and a lesser set for adults who are 18, 19, or 20. At the Founding, the Militia Act of 1792 enrolled able-bodied men beginning at age 18 and required them to appear armed. It would be difficult to devise a more direct rejection of the claim that 18-to-20-year-olds were historically outside America’s armed citizenry.
Michigan’s law turned Long into a defendant based not on dangerous conduct, but on his age and lack of government permission.
This case also shows why constitutional carry is more than a political slogan. A constitutional right should not depend upon obtaining a license, paying a fee, navigating an application process, or surviving until an arbitrary birthday.
The right to bear arms exists because the danger may arrive before the police do. Martinez Long did not need to explain why he carried a gun into Fairlane Town Center. The gunman he stopped had already answered that question.
About Duncan Johnson:
Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor and editor-in-chief for AmmoLand News and is responsib
