Has the state raised the minimum age for purchasing firearms?
21 states have adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Alabama has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Alaska has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Arizona has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Arkansas has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
California has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Colorado has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Connecticut has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns and semi-automatic centerfire rifles that has/accepts a 5+ round magazine; 18 for other rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Delaware has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Florida has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Georgia has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Hawaii has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Idaho has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Illinois has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Indiana has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Iowa has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Kansas has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Kentucky has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Louisiana has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Maine has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Maryland has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Massachusetts has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns and semiautomatic long guns; 18 for other long guns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Michigan has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Minnesota has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Mississippi has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Missouri has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Montana has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Nebraska has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Nevada has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
New Hampshire has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
New Jersey has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
New Mexico has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
New York has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns and semiautomatic rifles; 18 for other rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
North Carolina has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
North Dakota has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Ohio has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Oklahoma has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Oregon has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Pennsylvania has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Rhode Island has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
South Carolina has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
South Dakota has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Tennessee has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Texas has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Utah has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Vermont has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for all firearms
Minimum Age to Purchase
Virginia has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns
Minimum Age to Purchase
Washington has adopted this policy
- What is the minimum age for gun buyers?
- 21 for handguns and "semiautomatic assault rifles"; 18 for all other long guns
Minimum Age to Purchase
West Virginia has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Wisconsin has not adopted this policy
Minimum Age to Purchase
Wyoming has not adopted this policy
What It Does
Federal law sets a dangerously low minimum age for buying firearms. While the law requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer, it only requires a person to be 18 to buy a long gun, including an assault weapon, from a dealer. The law is even weaker for purchases from unlicensed sellers, with a 18-year old minimum age for handguns and no minimum age for long guns. Many states have raised the age, barring handgun sales to people under 21 and long gun sales to people under 18 — regardless of whether the purchase is from a dealer or an unlicensed seller. The strongest policies generally bar all purchases before a person turns 21. A full discussion on Prohibitors is here.Â
The Impact
Firearms are the leading cause of death for young people ages 18 to 20,1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, Underlying Cause of Death, Injury Mechanism & All Other Leading Causes. Data from 2023. Young people ages 18 to 20. https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D158/D428F583. and the firearm suicide rate among this group has increased 31% in the last decade.2Everytown Research analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, WONDER Online Database, Underlying Cause of Death. A percentage change was developed using 2014 and 2023 crude rates for young people ages 18 to 20. Eighteen to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at over triple the rate of adults 21 years and older.3Everytown Research analysis using FBI Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and US Population Data obtained from CDC WONDER, 2022.
Minimum Age to Purchase
| Policy adopted? | What is the minimum age for gun buyers? |
|---|---|
| Alabama | — |
| Alaska | — |
| Arizona | — |
| Arkansas | — |
| California | 21 for all firearms |
| Colorado | 21 for all firearms |
| Connecticut | 21 for handguns and semi-automatic centerfire rifles that has/accepts a 5+ round magazine; 18 for other rifles and shotguns |
| Delaware | 21 for all firearms |
| Florida | 21 for all firearms |
| Georgia | — |
| Hawaii | 21 for all firearms |
| Idaho | — |
| Illinois | 21 for all firearms |
| Indiana | — |
| Iowa | — |
| Kansas | — |
| Kentucky | — |
| Louisiana | — |
| Maine | — |
| Maryland | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Massachusetts | 21 for handguns and semiautomatic long guns; 18 for other long guns |
| Michigan | — |
| Minnesota | — |
| Mississippi | — |
| Missouri | — |
| Montana | — |
| Nebraska | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Nevada | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| New Hampshire | — |
| New Jersey | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| New Mexico | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| New York | 21 for handguns and semiautomatic rifles; 18 for other rifles and shotguns |
| North Carolina | — |
| North Dakota | — |
| Ohio | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Oklahoma | — |
| Oregon | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Pennsylvania | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Rhode Island | 21 for all firearms |
| South Carolina | — |
| South Dakota | — |
| Tennessee | — |
| Texas | — |
| Utah | — |
| Vermont | 21 for all firearms |
| Virginia | 21 for handguns; 18 for rifles and shotguns |
| Washington | 21 for handguns and "semiautomatic assault rifles"; 18 for all other long guns |
| West Virginia | — |
| Wisconsin | — |
| Wyoming | — |
Show Citations and Footnotes
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 27505(a); Cal. Penal Code § 27510(a); Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-108.7(1)(a), (3); Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-34(b), 29-36f(a), 29-37p(a); Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, §§ 1445(a), 1448(a)(5); Fla. Stat. § 790.065(13); Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-2(d); 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. § 65/4(a)(2)(i-5); Iowa Code §§ 724.15(2)(a), 724.22(1), (2); Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety §§ 5-134(b)(1), (d)(1)(ii)(1), 5-117.1(d)(1); Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 129B, 131; Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-1204.01, 69-2403, 69-2404, 69-2411; Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 202.300(2), 202.310; N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2C:58-3(c)(4), 2C:58-6.1; N.Y. Penal Law § 400.00(1)(a); Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §§ 2923.21(A)(1), (A)(2), 2923.211(A), (B); Or. Rev. Stat. § 166.470(1)(a); 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 2301, 6110.1(c), 6302(a); R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 11-47-37, 11-47-35, 11-47-35.2; Vt. Stat. tit. 13, § 4020; Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-309(B); Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.240(1).
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