Posted on 02/17/2018 7:21:25 AM PST by Simon Green
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said on Friday that she will introduce legislation to raise the minimum legal age to buy rifles in the wake of a school shooting in Florida.
Feinstein said the legislation would require anyone buying a firearm from a gun dealer to be at least 21 years old.
“Under current law, licensed gun dealers cannot sell a handgun to anyone under 21, but they are allowed to sell assault rifles like the AR-15 to anyone over 18. This policy is dangerous and makes absolutely no sense," Feinstein said.
She added that "if you can’t buy a handgun or a bottle of beer, you shouldn’t be able to buy an AR-15."
The bill comes after 17 people were killed during a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, roughly 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, allegedly used an AR-15 rifle. Federal law enforcement officials told The New York Times that the gun was purchased legally.
Under federal law, gun dealers can't sell a hand gun to anyone under 21.
But licensed gun dealers can sell "long guns," which include rifles, to anyone 18 and older, under federal law, with most states having similar age restrictions, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Gun legislation has stalled for years in Congress. In 2013, the Senate failed to pass legislation that would have expanded background checks, despite Democrats controlling the chamber at that time.
Senate Republicans also signaled in the wake of a shooting at a concert in Las Vegas last year that they would be open to banning "bump stocks"—a device that can simulate automatic gunfire with a semi-automatic weapon. But legislation targeting those devices has since stalled.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said during a committee hearing this week that he, Feinstein and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) would get together to discuss the issue.
No need to let them take the first step.
Racist of course.
.....so that means 18 year old members of the military can’t carry a gun?
While we’re at it, let’s raise the age for obtaining an abortion to 75.
I’m sure this 19y/o shooter would have waited til he was 21.
Damn that Trump...there is blood on his hands...Oh' Wait
It’s already absurd the drinking age is 21 in this country, now they’re trying to make smoking and gun ownership 21 too. They need to let people grow up.
And while we're at it, repeal the National Firearms Act, the Gun Control Act, and the Hughes Amendment.
How 'bout that, FineSwine?
The demodummies will keep chiseling away, one chip at a time until they eliminate the ability for ANYONE to purchase firearms regardless of age. They can’t eliminate the 2nd Amendment but they can ffer up new laws to control the ability to use a weapon, like restricting the sale of ammunition or setting age limits on gun purchases. Perhaps libs had better look VERY CAREFULLY at the age of 18 years old to join our military thereby offering up their young lives to protect those who put heavy restrictions on their “freedoms”.
Unless they are out on duty, then yes.
I think the drinking age should be lowered to 18...at least for beer and wine.
Make if the same as the minimum age for enlisting in the military.
That’s not the answer, Senator. How can we expect our kids to respect the lives of others, when we slaughter their contemporaries with impunity? TEACH RESPECT.
The natural amendment for this proposed legislation is the maximum age for senators.
DiFi is well beyond the limit.
You can learn to shoot and kill at 18 in the military, but you can’t buy a gun. Is not strong the logic in that one.
States need to provide armed guards for our schools.
“On it’s face I agree with her, but since the libtards always think incrementally...”
Exactly. It’s one of their most potent strategies. Look at the the gay stuff. Now we are within a blink of young girls having to share locker rooms and showers with some creep who claims he’s a she that day. But yeah lets do this if we can raise the voting age at the same time. The nation is harmed much more by 18 year olds voting then some nut with a gun.
Stuff and nonsense. The human mind is always growing and maturing. Infantilizing people does no good. Some people are never mature enough to vote; some people could vote responsibly at 15 or 16. People grow in responsibility by exercising responsibility. The "drinking age" and the "buy a handgun age" are both too old.
Kids can still be prescribed mind altering drugs though, right??
When I was growing up there was no gun age limit and in rural areas most boys got their first gun around 11-12, when Dad decided you were ready. I’ll spare you the long version as I only wish to make two points. First, nobody shot anybody, except the occasional B.B. gun, and second, DAD.
Dad’s made the decision, AND Dad did the training. Our lack of the Dad factor in today’s society is a major factor. I don’t have the answer to the problem, just saying there’s that, and it’s a problem.
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