Rep. Charlie Dent (PA-15) has announced his co-sponsorship of legislation raising the age requirement for those seeking to purchase semiautomatic rifles, such as AR-15s, from 18 to 21 years of age. This bipartisan bill is being led by Representatives Anthony G. Brown (MD-4) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-8).
“I am pleased to join my Pennsylvania colleague to support common sense policy that would raise the legal age to purchase semiautomatic rifles to 21, the same age for pistols,” said Dent.
“This bipartisan legislation would be an important first step in response to the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Congress must come together in the wake of such a tragedy and work to find solutions that will help to keep our students, teachers, and schools safe from gun violence,” Dent added.
Currently, gun-buyers are prohibited from purchasing handguns prior to their 21st birthday, but that is not the case with semiautomatic centerfire rifles that can accept magazines of five rounds or greater. It also provides an exemption for active duty military and full time law enforcement personnel.
In addition, Dent recently signed a letter circulated by Representative Leonard Lance (NJ-7) calling on House Speaker Ryan to bring a “Fix NICS” bill to the floor to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of our nation’s firearm background check system.
“Guaranteeing that complete and accurate information is entered into the National Instant Check System (NICS) is also a commonsense item that Congress should address quickly,” Dent concluded.
