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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Ashwini Tambe, Professor and Director, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Editorial Director, Feminist Studies, George Washington University

There are historical and psychological reasons why the legal age for purchasing assault weapons does not make sense

A boy examines a gun at the National Rifle Association annual convention on May 28, 2022, in Houston. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings in May 2022 had at least two things in common: The shooters were 18 years old, and they had both legally purchased their own assault rifles.

The shooters’ young age was not an aberration. The average age of school shooters is 18, when tracking incidents since 1966.

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