Congressman Glenn Ivey Introduces His First Bill, the "Raise the Age Act" to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Glenn Ivey, today, took to the House floor to introduce his first bill, the Raise the Age Act. The Raise the Age Act would protect the public by keeping assault weapons out of the hands of teenagers by applying the 21-year-old minimum age standard to buyers of semi-automatic centerfire rifles, just as it applies to handgun buyers.

Congressman Ivey’s floor speech can be found HERE. Below is a transcript of his remarks

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today – as a former prosecutor who advocated for common sense gun reforms in the state of Maryland – to introduce the Raise the Age Act. This bill would protect the public by raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic centerfire rifles to 21 years old.  Currently, the buyer only needs to be 18 years old, even though the minimum age to purchase a handgun from a gun dealer with a federal license is 21 years old. The Raise the Age Act would apply the 21-year-old minimum age standard to buyers of semi-automatic centerfire rifles, just as it applies to buyers of handguns. 

“Imagine the agony that Alexandria Rubio’s parents felt last May when they learned that their 10-year-old daughter’s life was cut short at Robb Elementary in their town of Uvalde, Texas. On that horrific day, 21 beautiful spirits were stolen from us: 19 precious young children and two beloved dedicated teachers. The halls of a grade school have forever been robbed of their innocence due to the gruesome actions committed by an 18-year-old, who used the semi-automatic assault weapon that he purchased shortly after his 18th birthday. 

“On May 14th, 2022, 53-year-old Andre Mackneil went to the Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York to purchase a birthday cake for his grandson. He never returned home for his grandson’s birthday due to the heinous acts of an 18-year-old mass shooter with an assault weapon. That 18-year-old ended the lives of 10 innocent souls that day. Had a 21-year-old age requirement been in place, that 18-year-old shooter would not have been able to legally purchase that firearm just a few months earlier, and the tragedy and trauma that occurred that day might have been avoided. 

“Some of the most horrific and heartbreaking mass shootings in our history were committed by 18, 19, and 20-year-olds using assault weapons, including the massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012, at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, and at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999. 

“According to CNN in November 2022, up to that point of 2022, at least 3,179 people had been shot in mass shootings, resulting in 637 deaths and more than 2,500 people wounded. Already in 2023, there have been more than 170 mass shootings! 

Some of my colleagues insist on choosing the Second Amendment over Second Graders. They insist on banning books in schools instead of banning assault weapons in schools. They talk about the “weaponization” of our government, but they’re silent when actual weapons are used to lay waste to our school children. 

“Instead of supporting commonsense reforms to address our country’s gun epidemic, some members offer bills that would make the problem far worse, such as eliminating the ATF, the leading federal law enforcement agency that fights against gun violence.

“Time and time again, our communities are devastated by these mass killings. Some politicians send “thoughts and prayers”. But we should all remember the wisdom in Paul’s letter to James 2:17 that “Faith, without works, is dead”. This bill alone won’t fix the problem of gun violence. But we know that inaction will NOT stop the mass killings! The time for action is long overdue. 

“That is why this bill is supported by many gun violence prevention organizations including the Giffords Law Center—which observes its 10th anniversary today, March For Our Lives, Newtown Action Alliance, Jr. Newtown Action Alliance, Community Justice Action Fund, Stop Handgun Violence, and States United to Prevent Gun Violence.  Some major retail chains like Walmart have even voluntarily raised the age from 18 to 21 to buy a firearm at their stores. 

“Raising the age to 21 also withstood judicial scrutiny recently. The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a similar law on the 21-year-old age requirement in Florida that was enacted shortly after the 2018 massacre in Parkland. The court determined that “The Act’s restriction on the sale of firearms to 18-to-20-year-olds is consistent with this nation’s relevant historical tradition of firearm regulations.”

“Raising the age to 21 to purchase these kinds of firearms is a reasonable and a crucial step, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this vital legislation.

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

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