# 119-s-597: Age 21 Act

119-s-597, Age 21 Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-597
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-597
- Congress: 119
- Title: Age 21 Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-13
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Would raise the federal age to 21 for buying or possessing certain handguns, semiautomatic assault weapons, and large-capacity magazines.** It would also rewrite many federal firearm definitions so a wider set of semiautomatic pistols, shotguns, assault weapons, magazines, and related parts fall under those rules. - Young adults. People under 21 would be barred from purchasing or possessing handguns, specified semiautomatic assault weapons, magazines that accept more than 10 rounds, and ammunition made only for those guns. The bill keeps narrow temporary exceptions for work, farming, hunting, target practice, and safety instruction. - Families and guardians. Parents or guardians could give prior written consent for possession in some cases, but consent must be maintained during transport and use and is limited by other legal restrictions. The bill also preserves home-defense possession in some intrusion situations. - Dealers, manufacturers, and enforcement. Federal definitions in Title 18 would expand to cover many additional features and devices, and sellers would be prohibited from transferring large-capacity feeding devices to anyone they reasonably believe is under 21.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Raise minimum firearm age to 21: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would make it illegal for people under 21 to buy, receive, or knowingly possess certain guns, certain ammo, and large-capacity feeding devices. It would define which items are covered, including semiautomatic pistols, semiautomatic shotguns, many semiautomatic “assault weapons,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-597 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/597)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-597 (as of 2026-08-11).