A new bill on Capitol Hill would raise the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21.
H.R. 3015 was introduced in the House this week, the measure seeks to raise the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Maryland).
From Guns.com:
While the text of the bill is not yet publicly available, the title unambiguously says it will “prohibit a Federal firearms licensee from selling or delivering certain semiautomatic centerfire rifles to a person under 21 years of age, with exceptions for active-duty military personnel and full-time law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.”
Currently, while individuals can buy long arms such as shotguns and rifles at age 18 in most states, explosives, handguns, and NFA items such as suppressors are restricted to those aged 21 years and older.
Brown filed similar legislation last session with the support of national anti-gun groups, arguing at the time that “an 18-year-old who cannot legally purchase a handgun can legally purchase a military-style assault weapon – that’s a dangerous, outdated loophole in America’s gun laws.”
The proposal would move the threshold age for legal rifle purchases to 21, the bar set for modern pistols and revolvers under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Currently, in the U.S., 18 is seen as the age of adulthood by most factors, including entering the military without a parent’s waiver, registering to vote, buying cigarettes, and getting married. Until 1984, it was legal to drink at age 18 in many states, a factor that only changed after legislation was enacted to penalize states who did not voluntarily raise the minimum drinking age to 21 by threatening to carve out federal road funds.
If this were to pass, we would have young people who could go to war with fully automatic weapons who would then come home and be unable to buy a semiautomatic rifle.
Interestingly enough the same party that has advocated for this legislation also advocates for lowering the voting age. They believe young people are responsible enough to determine the future of the country and drive a ton of steel around at high speeds but not responsible enough to own a rifle.
