Sponsors (162)
The bill seeks to improve public safety by restricting access to certain high-capacity semiautomatic firearms for people under 21 and clarifying legal definitions, while preserving limited official use for qualified personnel — at the cost of narrowed purchase rights for 18–20‑year‑olds, additional compliance and federal costs, and some operational/reporting risks.
The general public (and communities where shootings occur) stands to benefit from reduced legal access by people under 21 to semiautomatic centerfire rifles/shotguns with feeding devices over five rounds, which may lower the risk or severity of mass shootings and other high-capacity firearm incidents.
Active-duty service members and authorized full-time government employees under 21 can still obtain these firearms for official duties, preserving operational readiness and the ability of security forces to perform required tasks.
Licensed firearm dealers, law enforcement, and courts get a clearer federal definition of 'ammunition feeding device,' reducing legal ambiguity about what counts as a high-capacity device and smoothing compliance and enforcement decisions.
Adults aged 18–20 who previously could lawfully purchase these firearms will lose federally protected purchase rights for high-capacity semiautomatic rifles/shotguns, restricting their firearm access and raising rights/liberties concerns.
Some 18–20-year-olds employed in noncovered official roles may still be barred from acquiring these firearms even if they face similar public-safety risks as authorized 'qualified individuals,' creating potentially unfair or inconsistent treatment.
Licensed firearm dealers will face additional compliance burdens and potential liability from new age-checking rules and device-capacity determinations, increasing paperwork and operational costs for businesses and regulators.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Raises the federal minimum age to 21 for purchase/receipt of semiautomatic centerfire rifles/shotguns that accept feeding devices over five rounds, with limited exemptions for certain qualified individuals, and requires an FBI report on public access line procedures.
Raises the federal minimum age to purchase or receive certain semiautomatic centerfire rifles and semiautomatic centerfire shotguns that accept ammunition-feeding devices holding more than five rounds from 18 to 21, while keeping the 18-year minimum for most other firearms and ammunition and allowing limited exceptions for certain "qualified individuals." It also requires the FBI director to report to House and Senate Judiciary Committees within 90 days on how the FBI’s public access line shares information with field offices and recommendations to improve those procedures. The bill adds definitions for "qualified individual" (active-duty military or full-time public employees authorized to carry a firearm) and for "ammunition feeding device," revises dealer-age language, and does not specify new appropriations or a delayed effective date.
Introduced March 26, 2025 by Glenn Ivey · Last progress March 26, 2025