Throughout US history, legislators have regulated access to firearms for those under 21. At the founding of our nation, in the late 1800s, with the Gun Control Act of 1968, and as recently as Florida’s 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, federal and state legislatures have recognized the dangers inherent in permitting young adults under 21 to purchase deadly weapons.[1] [2]
 
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter in Florida was 19. The Robb Elementary School shooter in Uvalde, Texas was 18. The Buffalo, New York grocery store shooter was 18. All of them used semi-automatic rifles they purchased legally. 18- to 20-year-olds represent a disproportionate amount of school shooters and mass shooters.[3] 


This is unacceptable – we must act to protect our Commonwealth before our citizens are victims in the next tragedy. According to the biennial John Hopkins National Survey of Gun Policy, in 2023, 72.5% of those surveyed, including 65.9% of gun owners, were in favor of requiring an owner of a semi-automatic rifle to be at least 21 years of age.[4] My legislation would address this by prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing a semi-automatic rifle capable of holding more than five rounds of ammunition.
 
Please join me in supporting this legislation to protect our constituents and their loved ones from senseless, preventable gun violence.

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[1] Megan Walsh and Saul Cornell, “Age-Based Restrictions on Firearms Use and Possession: Applying Bruen’s Inquiry in Historical Context (Part 1),” Second Thoughts Blog 11 Sep 2024, Duke Center for Firearms Law, Web, 6 Jan 2025.
[2] Megan Walsh and Saul Cornell, “The Expansion of Historical Analogues for Age-Based Firearms Restrictions in the Era of the 14th Amendment (Part 2),” Second Thoughts Blog 13 Sep 2024, Duke Center for Firearms Law, Web, 6 Jan 2025.
[3] “Who Can Have a Gun: Minimum Age to Purchase & Possess,” Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Web, 6 Jan 2025.
[4] Valek, Rebecca, et al. “Political violence, racial violence, and new gun ownership: results from the 2023 National Survey of Gun Policy.” Injury Epidemiology, 11, Article number: 48, 2024, Supplemental Table 2.