Raising age to purchase guns not going to happen, U.S. Senate negotiator says

By Sebastian Hughes

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, one of the lead negotiators in the Senate’s bipartisan talks to address mass shootings, has officially ruled out raising the age requirement to purchase guns, a source familiar with the talks told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Senator Cornyn has ruled it out. It’s off the table and not happening,” the source told TheDCNF.

Public domain

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas

The House passed a gun control bill on Wednesday that would raise the age from 18 to 21, but faces near-impossible odds with Cornyn’s rebuke of the idea.

Cornyn had previously said it was unlikely for Congress to take that step but acknowledged the idea was part of the negotiations. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged Cornyn to speak with Democratic colleagues like Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona in an attempt to work out a compromise.

The bipartisan talks, which have reportedly made members of Congress cautiously optimistic about a deal, were sparked by the mass shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two teachers. Cornyn is the top Republican negotiation in the talks, alongside Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

On the Senate floor Monday, Cornyn listed a number of reforms he stated would not be part of the talks.

“I want to be clear, though: we are not talking about restricting the rights of current law-abiding gun owners or citizens,” he said. “We’re not talking about banning a category of weapons across the board, a ban for certain high-capacity magazines, or changing the background check system by adding additional disqualifying items.”

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, also a part of the talks, told CNN on Monday he supported raising the age to purchase guns from 18 to 21, arguing it would have prevented the Uvalde shooting. The shooter was an 18-year-old man.

President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass gun control reforms in the aftermath of the shooting, demanding a ban on “assault weapons and high capacity magazines.” He said the U.S. should raise the age limit if a ban was not something that could be agreed upon.

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8 thoughts on “Raising age to purchase guns not going to happen, U.S. Senate negotiator says

  1. Former Congressman, Jason Chaffetz, made a suggestion the other day that I thought was a good one. Have a responsible adult co-signer for anyone under the age of 21 purchasing one of these guns.

    • the first gun i bought was a single shot bicentennial rugar handgun (so sad stolen in 90’s home breakin ..never found) and my Dad went with me to sign for the purchase as I was not 21 at the time……

  2. It is patently obvious that today’s 18 year old is less responsible, less aware and more coddled than the 18 year olds of the generation that stormed the beaches of Normandy. I would not have big a problem restricting the purchase of semi-automatic firearms to those 21 and older PROVIDED THE VOTING AGE IS ALSO COMMENSURATELY RAISED, as well as the age of registering for Selective Service. After all, we have all heard that the pen is mightier than the sword. Since a motor vehicle can also be used as a dangerous weapon, any vehicle having a horsepower rating of more than 50HP and/or a fuel tank that allows for traveling more than 100 miles on a fill up ought to also be restricted from those under 21. Purchasing propane tanks of more than 20 pound capacity should be limited to those 21 or older, and only after a background check reveals no arson convictions.

  3. Vermont law allows anyone of good standing to carry open or concealed at age 16 – and younger with a permission slip. They don’t need to be the purchaser of the firearm in order to carry it. This is all smoke and mirrors.

    How sad that our two octogenarian idiots in the Senate don’t know what they’re speaking about. If there were ever an argument for term limits, these two provide it.

  4. Not to mention the fact that it would be found to be un Constitutional. It would also put a end to voting, procuring a abortion or any thing else until the age of 21,the Marxist Left needs to decide just what is the age of majority and then stick to it.

  5. The 9th circuit court of appeals recently handed down a decision that banning 18 to 21 year olds from buying firearms is unconstitutional. Since 18 is the age of majority to vote, sign contracts, get married and be drafted to go to war with a real gun, the law is not constitutional.
    The 9th circuit is hardly a conservative court.

  6. Again the house passes a BS gun bill, raising the age to purchase a firearm from 18
    to 21 is all smoke & mirrors…and If any republican Senator votes for this nonsense than
    they need to be primaried out of office !!

    If you are a crazed youth ” young adult ” at 18, then you’ll be a crazed at 21, this isn’t a
    gun problem, it’s a mental health issue, just think about what this vile person did before
    he shot up the school, he shot his grandmother in the face, let that sink in his parents,
    and local school officials and law enforcement have that blood on their hands… they all knew
    that he was a ticking time bomb and did nothing.

    Gun-free zones are a welcome mat for every nut job or criminal that’s looking for there
    five minutes of fame, if we do not hard secure every school, this will happen again be
    it with a gun, knife, auto ……………. crazy is just that !!!

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