CARSON CITY, Nev. — Last night, the Nevada chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after the Nevada legislature voted to pass legislation to raise the minimum age for purchasing or possessing semiautomatic shotguns and semiautomatic assault weapons to 21 (AB 245). Raising the age to purchase firearms is correlated with less gun deaths and injuries, especially accidental deaths and injuries, amongst children and young adults. The bill now heads to Governor Lombardo’s desk to be signed into law.
“Nevadans know the pain of gun violence all too well, and AB 245 is a step toward preventing more families from experiencing that heartbreak,” said Aurora Cox, a volunteer with the Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action. “By raising the age to purchase assault-style weapons to 21, we’re putting a simple, life-saving safeguard in place, one that’s supported by evidence and by the people of Nevada. Lawmakers have done their part, and now we’re counting on the governor to help protect our communities by signing this bill into law.”
“Being Gen Z means I’ve grown up in a world where the threat of a mass shooting is part of our everyday reality and I’m tired of being part of the generation that only knows gun violence as normal,” said Malcolm Greer, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Nevada. “We’ve begged adults to protect us for years and today, they finally did. Raising the age to 21 to buy an assault weapon won’t fix everything, but it will save lives—and it shows that Nevada’s lawmakers are choosing action over apathy.”
Here is what you need to know about AB 245:
- Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in Nevada. Raising the age requirement for purchasing or possessing semiautomatic shotguns and semiautomatic assault weapons to at least 21 years (AB245) will help save Nevadan lives.
- Nevada’s gun laws set a dangerously low minimum age for buying firearms. In Nevada, anyone who is above the age of 18 years old can buy a semiautomatic shotgun or semiautomatic assault weapon – despite research that shows that 18- to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 and older. We’ve seen how this plays out across the country:
- Before the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the shooter was able to buy two assault rifles shortly after his 18th birthday without raising an alarm. If these laws had been in place, this shooting could have been prevented.
- Prior to the Club Q shooting, law enforcement had seized a semiautomatic rifle from the then 20-year old shooter, who vowed to become the next “mass killer.”
- Adolescents under 21 are more likely than adults to commit gun crimes.
- 18 to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 and older.
- The area of the brain responsible for judgment and impulse control is not fully developed in 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds, meaning that they can be more prone to aggressive behavior. Decades of scientific evidence demonstrate that adolescents and young adults make riskier decisions than adults.
- Twenty-two states have already raised the age to purchase at least some firearms from 18 to 21, including Florida. Twelve states specifically bar people younger than 21 from purchasing rifles, including semiautomatic assault weapons. This law will implement necessary safeguards to protect Nevadans so that 18-year-olds cannot have easy access to deadly weapons and lives can be saved.
- The vast majority of voters favor raising the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic firearm, such as an AR-15, from 18 to 21
- Polling from Everytown for Gun Safety shows 77% of Nevadans support this measure, which includes 69% of Republicans and concealed carry permit holders, as well as 68% of gun owners.
In an average year, 581 people die by guns and 481 people are injured in Nevada. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Nevada. Gun violence costs Nevada $6.7 billion each year, of which $104.3 million is paid by taxpayers.