Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the seventh anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced legislation to 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. Individuals under 21 have used assault weapons in some of the most devastating school shootings in U.S. history, including the mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Gun violence is a national crisis, claiming over 46,000 lives in 2023 — the third-largest number of gun-related deaths in American history. Assault weapons, originally engineered for military combat to maximize damage, are frequently used in mass shootings because of their ability to inflict catastrophic harm in mere seconds. More than 85 percent of deaths in public mass shootings involving four or more fatalities were caused by assault rifles. Furthermore, shootings involving assault weapons or large-capacity magazines result in more than 2.5 times as many people being shot compared to incidents involving other firearms.
“Seven years after a 19-year-old gunman tragically took the lives of 17 students and faculty in Parkland, we’re still seeing far too many preventable mass shootings at the hands of deadly assault rifles,” said Senator Padilla. “If you can’t legally buy a handgun, there’s no reason you should be able to buy a military-grade weapon. This commonsense legislation would raise the minimum age to purchase or carry an assault weapon or high-capacity ammunition from 18 to 21 — the same standard already in place for purchasing handguns — helping to curb the gun violence epidemic that continues to devastate communities in California and across the nation.”
The bill’s restrictions on the sale of assault weapons, handguns, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, and related ammunition to individuals under the age of 21 would apply to both federally licensed and private sellers. Additionally, the legislation would bar most individuals under 21 from possessing these items, with limited exceptions for specific circumstances such as service in law enforcement or the armed forces.
The Age 21 Act is cosponsored by 18 Senators, including Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
“Too many innocent lives lost, too many individuals facing relentless grief—we must take action to stop the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our nation. By raising the minimum age requirement for purchasing assault weapons, the Age 21 Act keeps guns out of the hands of young people, combatting gun violence hurting our communities. This legislation takes meaningful action to prevent senseless, unnecessary tragedies,” said Senator Blumenthal.
“Congress cannot sit by and do nothing while gun violence remains the number one killer of children in America,” said Senator Duckworth. “As we remember the 17 lives cut short at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, we must honor their memory with action. The Age 21 Act is commonsense gun safety legislation that would help prevent mass shootings and do more to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who would seek to harm themselves or others. If Republicans were truly ‘pro-life,’ they would support our bill and help us save lives.”
“Gun violence continues to shatter families and communities throughout America. Our existing laws allow far too many guns to fall into the wrong hands. That is why I’m signing onto the Age 21 Act, which prohibits the sale of assault weapons, handguns, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, and related ammunition to individuals under the age of 21,” said Senator Durbin. “This legislation is one of many steps we must take to address the gun violence epidemic across the United States.”
“Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in America today. Year after year, deadly assault weapons inflict devastating and avoidable harm on our families, schools, and communities, causing children, parents, and teachers to live with the fear that the next school shooting may happen in their community,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Age 21 Act offers a critical safeguard to prevent such tragedies, decreasing the threat of gun violence against our kids. I am proud to support this legislation, and I will fight hard for its passage this Congress.”
“The gun violence epidemic in our country is rampant, devastating communities and taking innocent lives,” said Senator Hirono. “This commonsense legislation is a step in the right direction and will help to keep our communities safer by keeping these deadly weapons out of the hands of those under the age of 21. As we continue working to prevent gun violence across the country, our introduction of this bill will move us closer to putting an end to the thousands of preventable gun-violence related deaths every year.”
“Everyone in America should be able to live free from the fear of injury or death caused by a firearm,” said Senator 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. I’m proud to help introduce this bill to raise the legal purchasing age for assault weapons to 21, and will keep pushing for additional legislation to make our communities safer from gun violence.”
“Our children deserve safe environments to grow and learn in, and that means taking on gun violence—the leading cause of death for children and teens,” said Senator Klobuchar. “It’s common sense that young people who cannot buy a handgun should not be able to buy an assault weapon.”
“From Uvalde to Parkland, it’s just a fact the profile of these shooters are often teenagers who were able to legally get their hands on a deadly weapon like an AR-15. A majority of Americans support raising the age to purchase assault weapons or handguns to 21. Congress should do it,” said Senator Murphy.
“It’s really simple: Teenagers and assault rifles don’t mix. This bill would make it harder for anyone under 21 to get their hands on the types of military-style assault weapons and ammunition that have been repeatedly used in school shootings and other mass-casualty attacks,” said Senator Reed.
“This bill helps address the epidemic of gun violence by restricting access to weapons capable of inflicting the most grievous loss of life to those of appropriate age,” said Senator Schiff. “It is not too much to ask that someone wait until the age of 21 to purchase a military style assault weapon for civilian use. Gun violence takes the lives of too many people each year, including many children, and we must do everything in our power to find solutions that keep our communities and our children safe.”
“No good comes from an unsupervised teenager having an assault rifle,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Our commonsense legislation would help keep kids and communities safe by preventing young people who are not even of legal drinking age from being able to buy weapons of war.”
“If you’re not old enough to purchase alcohol, you shouldn’t be allowed to buy a gun either,” said Senator Wyden. “We need to be doing everything we can to stop America’s gun violence epidemic, including raising the legal age of purchase to 21. I am proud to support this bill that will help keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of teenagers.”
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. We are deeply grateful to Senator Padilla for taking decisive action in this fight to prevent further tragedies and protect our future.”
“People ages 18 to 20 are responsible for perpetrating a disproportionate share of school shootings, public mass shootings, and gun homicides overall. 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. Senator Padilla’s bill sets a national standard for something that has already proven effective at the state level, and we urge Congress to implement this common sense legislation,” said Vanessa Gonzalez, Vice President of Government & Political Affairs at GIFFORDS.
Senator Padilla is a strong advocate for commonsense, life-saving gun safety reforms. In June 2022, Padilla voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in almost 30 years. Last year, Padilla introduced bicameral legislation to prevent the federal government from contracting with federally licensed firearms dealers that have a documented history of selling a disproportionate number of guns that end up being used to commit violent crimes. In 2023, Padilla joined 27 of his Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Keep Americans Safe Act, renewing efforts to ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. He also joined Senator Blumenthal in introducing Ethan’s Law, which would require gun owners to safely and securely store their firearms, and he cosponsored Senator Edward J. Markey’s (D-Mass.) Protecting Kids from Gun Marketing Act, which would direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules that prohibit the marketing of firearms to children.
A one-pager on the bill is available here.
Full text of the bill is available here.