Rep. Ivey pushes to ban semi-auto rifle sales for those under 21

WASHINGTON — A Maryland congressman is hoping to raise the legal age limit to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 nationwide.

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), representing much of Prince George’s County, introduced his first bill, the “Raise The Age Act,” Wednesday. Ivey cited mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo and Newtown by 18-year-olds with semi-automatic rifles as reasoning to push for change. Ivey's bill would ban sales of rifles having magazines with more than a five-round capacity to anybody younger than 21.

"We’ve had a number of scenarios where they were involved in shootings, like at Parkland," Ivey said. "An 18-year-old got their hands on an AR-15 and those types of weapons and it lead to very tragic results." 

It’s not known if Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will allow the bill to come to a vote.

Ivey is hopeful he can find common ground through the legislation, and advance what he called "common sense legislation" through thins like expanding background checks and reducing ghost guns.

"This is smart legislation," Chairman of the House Gun Violence Task Force, Rep. Mike Thompson, (D-Calif.) said. "It is legislation that was in our Child Safety Act last year. It’s legislation that should have been in the Community Safety Bill that we passed, the bipartisan bill. It’s one that we need to take up now and pass. It will save lives."