Lawmakers want to make it more difficult for individuals under the age of 21 to purchase assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition.
Assault weapons have been used by individuals under 21 to carry out some of the most devastating school shootings in U.S. history including the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people on Feb. 14, 2018.
Nineteen members of the U.S. Senate including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Age 21 Act, legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from 18 to 21, the same age requirement that already applies to purchasing handguns from federally-licensed dealers.
“Everyone in America should be able to live free from the fear of injury or death caused by a firearm,” said Kaine. “One of many commonsense steps we can take to reduce that risk is limiting young people’s access to assault weapons—just like we already limit their access to handguns.”
The Age 21 Act is endorsed by organizations including Brady: United Against Gun Violence, March for Our Lives, Giffords, Newtown Action Alliance and Everytown for Gun Safety.
“Six of the deadliest mass shootings since 2018 were committed by individuals 21 and under. The Age 21 Act could have saved lives then and will continue to do so if passed into law,” said Alexa Browning, policy manager at March for our Lives.
“Firearms are still the leading cause of death for young people, yet we continue to allow access to deadly weapons while restricting substances like alcohol and tobacco.”
Kaine said he will keep pushing for additional legislation to make communities safer from gun violence.
“People ages 18 to 20 are responsible for perpetrating a disproportionate share of school shootings, public mass shootings and gun homicides overall,” said Vanessa Gonzalez, vice president of government and political affairs at Giffords. “Raising the minimum age of purchase not only protects communities, but kids as well, as states with minimum age laws have seen significant declines in firearm suicides and other types of gun violence among young adults and children.
Gun violence stats
- Gun violence claimed more than 46,000 lives in the United States in 2023
- Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in America
- Assault weapons, originally engineered for the battlefield to maximize damage inflicted on enemy soldiers, are frequently used in mass shootings
- More than 85 percent of deaths in public mass shootings involving four or more fatalities were caused by assault rifles
- Shootings involving assault weapons or large-capacity magazines result in twice as many deaths and 14 times as many injuries compared to incidents involving other firearms
The Age 21 Act is led by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), and in addition to Kaine, is cosponsored by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
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Crystal Graham
