Kaine Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Age to Buy Assault Weapons to 21
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined 18 Senate colleagues to introduce 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. Assault weapons have been used by individuals under 21 to carry out some of the most devasting school shootings in U.S. history, including the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people on February 14, 2018.
“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. 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.”
Gun violence is a national crisis, claiming over 46,000 lives 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, and shootings involving assault weapons or large-capacity magazines result in twice as many deaths and fourteen-times as many injuries compared to incidents involving other firearms.
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.
The Age 21 Act is led by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and cosponsored by U.S. Senators 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).
The full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager is available here.
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