Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 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 shootings in U.S. history, including the 2022 mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY, in which 10 people were killed.
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.
“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 Age 21 Act’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 was originally introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). In addition to Senator Gillibrand, it is cosponsored by 17 senators: Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), 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.).
Senator Gillibrand is a longtime champion for commonsense gun safety legislation. She wrote the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act, which formed the centerpiece of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s (BSCA) anti-gun trafficking statute. So far, law enforcement has used the statute to take over 3,000 illegal guns off the streets and charge hundreds of suspected traffickers. In 2023, Senator Gillibrand also cosponsored the 3D Printed Gun Safety Act, federal legislation that would ban online distribution of blueprints for the 3D printing of firearms and help prevent the proliferation of “ghost guns,” and the Fair Legal Access Grants (FLAG) Act, which would ensure that any person filing a red flag petition, also known as an extreme risk protection order (ERPO), has access to the legal representation, counsel, and resources needed to be heard and successfully file an ERPO. She has also supported legislation to expand background checks to the sale and transfer of all firearms.
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