But in most states, they can buy an AR-15 military-style rifle starting at age 18. Nichols said that laws that made it easier to buy long guns than handguns were designed at a time when military-style rifles were much less popular, and when teenagers were most likely to buy long guns for hunting. “The assumption was that rifles and long guns were not going to be used in crimes,” she said. There are even fewer restrictions on owning long guns than there are on buying them. Florida requires residents to be 18 to own a long gun.

Source: The Guardian February 16, 2018 11:01 UTC