[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FLAKE (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 2470. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit 
the purchase of certain firearms by individuals under 21 years of age, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the 
introduction of the ``Age 21 Act'' by Senator Flake and myself.
  Two weeks ago, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, 
Florida, our Nation experienced yet another horrific mass shooting that 
has shocked the conscience of us all.
  The shooter--a 19-year old former student of the high school--used an 
AR-15 military-style assault rifle that he legally purchased at a gun 
store, to kill former classmates and educators. Along with 14 wounded, 
17 beautiful lives were lost in this horrific attack. Many of them were 
children and young adults. Their whole lives were ahead of them.
  The overwhelming agony so many victims and their loved ones are 
experiencing is all too familiar to gun violence victims and survivors 
all across America. This palpable agony and grief has emboldened 
students from Parkland and all across this Nation to speak out about 
gun violence and demand that we as lawmakers act. I am deeply inspired 
by the courage of these young people, and I hope my colleagues will 
join me in working with them.
  The bill that Senator Flake and I are introducing is straightforward 
and simple--it raises the minimum age to purchase a military-style 
assault rifle and high capacity ammunition magazines to age 21. In so 
doing, this legislation closes the loophole in current law that allows 
teenagers to legally walk into a gun store and buy an AR-15. It further 
prohibits private individuals from selling or transferring AR-15s to 
teenagers under the age of 21. In this way, it brings the minimum age 
requirements for buying handguns and military-style assault weapons 
into parity.
  It makes perfectly clear that in America, if a person is not old 
enough to buy a handgun--or, for that matter, old enough to buy a 
beer--they should not be able to purchase a military-style assault 
weapon. In my view, this bill is one small step in the right direction. 
It was developed following the attack in Parkland that had students 
asking ``why was this teenager able to legally walk into a gun store 
and buy an AR-15?'' In fact, one student named Samuel Zeif, who lost 
his best friend in the shooting, asked President Trump why a young 
person in America ``can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war?''
  So we worked in the spirit of bipartisanship to let Samuel, and these 
students, know that as lawmakers we hear them. And we will work 
together to make sure that they feel safe in their schools and in their 
neighborhoods.
  So I'm proud of this bipartisan piece of legislation and would urge 
that this body take it up and pass it immediately. However, I would be 
remiss not to mention that so much more remains to be done. Already 
this Congress, I have introduced legislation to ban bump stocks and 
assault weapons from our streets. I've also introduced legislation that 
would provide states with a legal framework for courts to issue gun 
violence restraining orders to prevent dangerous individuals from 
accessing firearms. Additionally, nearly 100 percent of Americans 
support legislation that would require universal background checks on 
all gun sales, something that ordinary Americans are shocked is not 
already the law.
  I ask my colleagues to work with us on these common-sense, broadly 
supported proposals. I strongly believe that lives are at stake. We 
can't continue to watch our children get slaughtered.
  Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that ``we are confronted with the 
fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history 
there is such a thing as being too late'' and ``we must move past 
indecision to action.''
  Today, as students and communities all across our nation cry out for 
stronger gun laws, this message continues to ring true. Now is the time 
for us to act, and to show the American people that we can come 
together when they are looking for leadership.
  I yield the floor.
                                 ______