Under federal law, you have to be 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun and 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed firearms dealer. Those are the minimum ages set by the Gun Control Act of 1968, and they apply everywhere in the country.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Private sales, state laws, and a recent federal appeals decision complicate the picture, so the age that actually applies to you depends on what you’re buying, who you’re buying it from, and where you live.
Federal Age Limits at Licensed Dealers
A federally licensed dealer, often called an FFL, cannot sell a rifle, shotgun, or long-gun ammunition to anyone under 18. The same dealer cannot sell a handgun or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts FFLs include gun stores, pawn shops, and sporting goods retailers that hold a federal firearms license.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Gun Control Act (GCA)
Military service does not change the handgun age. Federal law lets Armed Forces and National Guard members under 18 possess an issued handgun in the line of duty, but that carve-out is about possession on the job, not purchasing at a store. An 18-year-old service member still cannot buy a handgun from a dealer.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
Ammunition Follows the Same Split
Ammunition tracks the firearm it’s designed for. Rifle and shotgun ammunition can be sold to buyers 18 and up. Handgun ammunition is restricted to buyers 21 and up.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If you’re 18, 19, or 20, the caliber matters at the register. Rounds designed exclusively for handguns fall on the wrong side of the age line, even if you already own the rifle you plan to shoot them from.
Private Sales Are a Different Story
When neither the buyer nor the seller is a licensed dealer, federal law loosens considerably. A private seller cannot sell or transfer a handgun to someone they know or have reason to believe is under 18. For long guns, there is no federal minimum age at all for private sales between residents of the same state.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers A private individual could legally sell a hunting rifle to a 16-year-old under federal law alone.
Many states have closed that gap. Some require private sales to run through a licensed dealer, which pulls the transaction back under the federal age rules and background check requirements. Others set their own minimum age of 18 or 21 for all firearm purchases regardless of who is selling. Checking your state’s rules before a private sale isn’t optional.
States That Set Higher Ages
Federal law is a floor, not a ceiling. States can raise the minimum purchase age, and quite a few have. Roughly half a dozen states require buyers to be 21 for all firearms, rifles and shotguns included, which eliminates the 18-to-20 dealer window entirely. More than a dozen additional states require buyers to be 21 for all handgun purchases, whether from a dealer or a private party.
Some states also add waiting periods, purchase permits, or safety course requirements on top of the age rule. Two people the same age can face very different purchasing rules depending on which side of a state line they live on. Your state attorney general’s office or state police website will have the current requirements.
Extra Time for Buyers Under 21
If you’re between 18 and 20, expect a longer background check. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 requires the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to run an enhanced check for anyone under 21, which includes contacting state juvenile justice agencies, state mental health record custodians, and local law enforcement.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. NICS Enhanced Background Checks for Under-21 Gun Buyers Showing Results
If the enhanced check flags something that needs review, the sale is paused. The dealer cannot transfer the firearm until NICS clears the buyer or ten business days pass from the initial check without a denial, whichever comes first.6Federal Register. Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 and Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 – Implementation Revisions for NICS A delay isn’t a denial. Plan for the extra time.
Owning and Using a Gun Is Not the Same as Buying One
The age limits above apply at the point of sale. Federal law treats possession separately, and it allows younger people to have and use firearms in specific situations. For handguns, anyone under 18 is generally prohibited from possession, with exceptions for employment, farming or ranching, target practice, hunting, and firearm safety courses, provided the minor has prior written consent from a parent or guardian who is not themselves prohibited from owning firearms.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Federal law also lets a minor use a handgun in self-defense against an intruder in a home where the minor lives or is a guest, and permits inheritance of title (though not physical possession) by a minor.
For long guns, federal law sets no minimum possession age. State laws vary considerably on this point, and 35 states plus the District of Columbia have child access prevention laws holding adults responsible when a minor gains unsupervised access to a firearm.7RAND Corporation. The Effects of Child-Access Prevention Laws
What Happens at the Counter
Every purchase from a licensed dealer runs through ATF Form 4473, the federal firearms transaction record. You fill out personal information and answer a series of eligibility questions. The dealer verifies your identity, address, and date of birth using a valid government-issued photo ID before the sale proceeds.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473 (5300.9) A driver’s license, state ID, or military ID works, as long as it shows your date of birth.
Lying on the form is a federal felony. ATF has pursued these cases aggressively, and a conviction can bring up to 10 years in federal prison.9Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Prosecutors Aggressively Pursuing Those Who Lie in Connection With Firearm Transactions That penalty covers any false statement, not just age.
The Handgun-at-18 Question Is in Flux
The federal ban on dealer handgun sales to 18-to-20-year-olds is being litigated. In January 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that preventing licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults in that age range violates the Second Amendment. The court applied the framework from the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which requires modern gun regulations to have historical analogues from the founding era, and found the government’s evidence of founding-era age restrictions too thin.
The Fourth Circuit went the other way, upholding the same federal restriction as “relevantly similar” to founding-era limits on commercial firearms sales. That split between circuits is the kind of conflict the Supreme Court typically resolves. Until it does, the answer depends on which federal circuit you live in, and the rule may look different a year from now.
Penalties for Underage Sales and Straw Purchases
A licensed dealer who sells to an underage buyer faces up to five years in federal prison. A private person who transfers a handgun to someone they know or have reason to believe is under 18 faces up to one year, rising to ten years if the seller had reason to believe the minor would use the handgun in a violent crime.10Department of Justice. Quick Reference to Federal Firearms Laws
Asking someone older to buy a gun on your behalf is a straw purchase, and it carries the heaviest penalties in this area. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act created a dedicated federal straw-purchasing offense under 18 U.S.C. § 932, with a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If the firearm is later used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or drug trafficking, the maximum climbs to 25 years.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy Both people involved are exposed.