Federal Age Limit for Specific Semiautomatic Rifles Rises to 21, Exempting Military and Law Enforcement

The “Raise the Age Act of 2025” is a two-part bill, but the main event is a significant shift in who can buy certain firearms from licensed dealers. This bill raises the minimum age for purchasing specific types of semiautomatic rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21. Specifically, Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) are now prohibited from selling a semiautomatic centerfire rifle or shotgun—one that uses a magazine or feeding device holding more than five rounds—to anyone under 21 years old.

The New Rules for 18- to 20-Year-Olds

If you're between 18 and 20, this bill creates a new hurdle if you want to buy a high-capacity semiautomatic rifle or shotgun. For the average civilian in this age group, the door is closed for those specific types of firearms. However, the bill carves out an important exception for what it calls a “qualified individual.” This means if you are an active-duty member of the Armed Forces or a full-time government employee (federal, state, or local) whose job requires you to carry a firearm on duty, you retain the ability to purchase these restricted weapons. For everyone else, the age limit is now 21 for these specific firearms. It’s worth noting that the bill maintains the existing federal age limit of 18 for buying standard rifles, shotguns, and handguns (those not meeting the new restricted criteria), as well as ammunition.

Compliance Check for Gun Dealers

For FFLs—the licensed gun dealers—this means new compliance headaches and a need to update their paperwork and procedures. They now have to determine not only the buyer's age but also the specific characteristics of the firearm (semiautomatic, centerfire, and magazine capacity over five rounds). The bill requires updates to the sales forms, forcing buyers to affirm they are either 21 or a “qualified individual” if they are purchasing one of the newly restricted firearms. This adds a layer of complexity to every transaction, and dealers will have to be meticulous to avoid running afoul of the new federal rules.

The FBI’s Homework Assignment

Section 3 of the bill pivots entirely away from firearms and focuses on improving government communication. It mandates that the Director of the FBI submit a report to the Congressional Judiciary Committees within 90 days of the law’s enactment. This report must detail the current procedures the FBI uses for sharing information received through its public access line with local field offices. More importantly, the Director must also offer concrete suggestions on how to make those information-sharing protocols better and more efficient. For the average person, this is an administrative measure aimed at improving how the FBI processes tips and information from the public, ideally making the process faster and more effective.