In texas, for example, you only need to be 18 to buy a semi automatic rifle from a license dealer. It is legal for people who are 18 or older to buy long guns, such as rifles or shotguns. Texans must be 21 to purchase a hand gun, though there are some exceptions. And given what we've seen over the last few weeks with young people buying firearms and using them shortly thereafter, raising them at a minimum age to 21 could have been an effective policy too.