Age restrictions guidance
Federal law imposes age restrictions on transactions involving firearms, receivers and ammunition. It is your responsibility to know and follow the law in your jurisdiction.
- Shotguns and rifles, and their receivers and ammunition, may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older.
- All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and their receivers and ammunition, may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older. (This includes handguns, short-barreled shotguns and rifles, silencers/suppressors, etc.)
Note: If a State law or local ordinance establishes a higher minimum age, that applies instead.
SOURCE: "Does a customer have to be a certain age to buy firearms or ammunition from a licensee?" Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). Retrieved 6 Jan 2018. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/does-customer-have-be-certain-age-buy-firearms-or-ammunition-licensee