Congressman Brown To Reintroduce Legislation Raising The Age To Buy Semi Automatic Weapons

Press Release

Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) will reintroduce the Raise the Age Act to increase the age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old. After another preventable mass shooting, this time at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, by a 19-year old who legally purchased semiautomatic rifles, it's clear that swift action is needed to close loopholes in our nation's gun laws. Eight people are dead and many others are wounded from this attack because Congress has failed to act.

Most Americans have to wait until the age of 21 before they can legally buy alcohol, rent a vehicle or gamble in most states. But under federal law, an 18-year-old can walk into a gun store and buy a military-style assault weapon. That same teenager is prohibited from purchasing a handgun.

The suspect in the most recent shooting, had his shotgun taken away in March 2020 after his mother raised concerns about his mental state. But he was able to legally purchase semiautomatic weapons just months later. The circumstances of this most recent tragedy mirror those of the 2019 shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, when another 19-year-old legally purchased a semiautomatic rifle to use in an attack that left three dead and twelve others wounded.

"Mass shootings like this have become tragically familiar occurrences in our country. What makes them all the more painful is that they were preventable through commonsense reforms to our nation's gun laws that would prevent young people from purchasing dangerous weaponry. We have not done nearly enough to tackle the epidemic of gun violence Americans experience on our streets, our workplaces, public venues and at our schools," said Congressman Brown. "Too many have died because Congress has failed to act. We have a moral obligation to stop these senseless tragedies."

The Raise the Age Act enjoyed bipartisan support during the 116th Congress.

Many retailers have already raised the age to purchase weapons and ammunition to 21, and multiple states have passed similar laws to prevent teenagers from being able to purchase semi-automatic weapons. Currently, anywhere from 7-in-10 to 8-in-10 Americans support raising the permissible age for buying a gun, and more than 6-in-10 Americans in gun-owning households support increasing the purchasing age to 21.

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