Wednesday 25 May 2022 07:28 PM Texas is one of 44 US states where 18-year-olds can legally buy a rifle trends now
America's gun laws are once again in the spotlight following a devastating school shooting in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Gunman Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, purchased two AR-15-style rifles just days after his birthday last week, using one of them to perpetrate Tuesday's massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Texas, like the vast majority of US states, allows 18-year-olds to purchase long guns, including shotguns and rifles.
However a few states have raised that age to 21, most notably in Florida, where the Republican-controlled legislature and governor raised the age limit following the 2018 Parkland shooting, in which a 19-year-old murdered 17 people.
Most states (red) either have a state minimum age of 18 for buying long guns, or default to the federal minimum of 18. Six states (blue) set the age limit at 21 for long guns
Salvador Ramos legally purchased two AR-15 style rifles (right) including the one he used in yesterday's attack after his 18th birthday last week. The gunman also bought more than 300 rounds of ammunition
Not every state has its own age limits on gun sales, but there are federal limits that apply to all federally licensed firearms dealers.
Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, a licensed dealer cannot sell a long gun to anyone under the age of 18. For handguns, the federal age limit is 21.
For unlicensed dealers, which could include a private sale or a gun show purchase, the federal age limit for handguns drops to 18.
While the vast majority of gun murders in the US are committed with handguns, a handful of mass shootings involving semi-auto rifles with high capacity magazines have drawn the focus of gun-control advocates.
In total, six states restrict the sale of semi-auto rifles to those over 21. California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois have a 21 age limit for all long guns.
Vermont sets the limit at 21 for those without a hunting safety certificate. Washington state forbids sales of semi-auto rifles specifically to those under 21.
Several other states ban so-called assault rifles entirely, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
Law enforcement work the scene after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School where 19 people, including 18 children, were killed on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas
Gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, have challenged those laws in court.
After Florida raised the
