Sponsors (19)
The bill tightens access to handguns, semiautomatic weapons, and large-capacity magazines for under-21s and clarifies definitions to help enforcement—trading broader public safety gains against substantial limits on lawful ownership for 18–20-year-olds, compliance costs, potential criminalization of common items, and litigation/uncertainty risks.
People under 21 (especially 18–20-year-olds) will have reduced access to handguns, semiautomatic assault weapons, and large-capacity magazines, likely lowering youth firearm possession and related safety risks.
Limits on semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity feeding devices reduce the availability of high-capacity firearms commonly used in mass shootings, potentially lowering the severity of such events.
Clear statutory definitions of pistols, shotguns, assault weapons, and large-capacity devices improve consistency for federal enforcement and court decisions.
Adults aged 18–20 will be prohibited from possessing many handguns and semiautomatic weapons, significantly restricting lawful ownership for this age group.
Broad, technical product and feature definitions could criminalize common accessories and many commercially sold firearms, exposing owners and sellers to prosecution or forced disposals.
Compliance and enforcement will impose costs on owners, retailers, and government for recordkeeping, potential buybacks, or legal actions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Inserts detailed federal definitions for semiautomatic pistols, semiautomatic shotguns, and semiautomatic assault weapons (including parts and accessories) with feature and magazine-capacity thresholds.
Official title: Amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the purchase of certain firearms by individuals under 21 years of age, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress February 13, 2025
Amends federal criminal code definitions to add detailed statutory definitions for “semiautomatic pistol,” “semiautomatic shotgun,” and a broad category called “semiautomatic assault weapon,” and also covers parts and accessories that convert or accelerate semiautomatic firearms. The definitions identify weapon features (pistol grips, folding stocks, threaded barrels, magazine location/size, weight thresholds, stabilizing braces, barrel shrouds, etc.), include fixed-magazine capacity cutoffs, and treat certain components that increase rate of fire as covered. By changing the statutory definitions used in federal firearms law, the measure would expand the universe of firearms and related components that are treated as assault weapons under federal law, which would affect how those items are regulated, sold, manufactured, and possessed under other federal restrictions tied to the statutory definitions.