GJust two weeks after the massacre at a Texas elementary school, the US House of Representatives voted to raise the age limit for purchasing assault rifles from 18 to 21. The bill was passed on Wednesday (local time) with a majority of Democrats, but has little chance of becoming law. The Senate would also have to agree to this, which is considered very unlikely. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats depend on the support of a few Republicans.
The House of Representatives also passed a number of other reforms to tighten gun laws. However, the projects are likely to fail in the Senate. Negotiations are underway there about a rather unambitious tightening of gun laws, which could possibly also be supported by some moderate Republicans.
Should a law be passed by both houses of parliament, it still needs the signature of US President Joe Biden in order to come into force. The Democrat has spoken out in favor of tightening gun laws and has called on Congress to act.
18-year-old shot dead 19 elementary school children
One of the triggers for recent efforts to tighten the rather lax US gun laws was the massacre in the small Texas town of Uvalde, in which an 18-year-old shot 19 children and two teachers with an assault rifle in an elementary school.
Gun laws in the United States are partly determined by the states. In many places, assault rifles – such as the AR-15 type used by the shooter in Uvalde – can be bought from the age of 18 without much effort. In the USA, on the other hand, you can only drink alcohol in a restaurant from the age of 21.