GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger says it's a 'no brainer' to raise age requirement to purchase guns after Buffalo and Uvalde shootings

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said it's a "no brainer" to raise the age requirement for gun purchases.
"I'm focused on saving life now," Kinzinger said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
His remarks come after the wave of recent mass shooting across the US.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger said that raising the age requirement for gun purchases to 21 is a "no brainer" in an interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.

"If you look at the Parkland shooting, you look at Buffalo, you look at this shooting; these are people under the age of 21," Kinzinger said. "We know that the human brain develops and matures a lot between the age of 18 and 21."

—This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 29, 2022

His comments come after the recent mass shootings across the country including at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a local grocery store in Buffalo, New York — both of which occurred this month.

Kinzinger pointed out the parallels between the accused gunmen in those two incidents, as well as the Parkland, Florida school shooter, who were all under the age of 21 during the attacks. All the incidents are among the deadliest mass shootings in US history.

"We just raised without really so much as a blink the age of purchasing cigarettes federally to 21," the Illinois congressman said. "I think we need to get there eventually."

During the interview, moderator Jonathan Karl asked Kinzinger if he agrees with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who supports banning assault weapons.

"I'm definitely ready to engage in that conversation and maybe that ultimately includes not selling them anymore," Kinzinger responded. " That's fine because to me, again, I'm focused on saving life now."

He continued: "At the same time, what's the first thing we can do that I think will mitigate this problem, let's raise the age to 21. And I think to look at the AR discussion as kind of the short and near and also far term target."

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