Young adults can no longer buy guns if they have a history of domestic violence or assault

The Justice Department is updating rules for the national background check system for gun purchases. This means that people aged 18-20 with certain juvenile criminal records, including domestic violence, will now be blocked from buying firearms.

Before this change, federal law treated juvenile records differently than adult records, often making it harder to use them in background checks. This meant that someone with a serious violent juvenile history could still legally buy a gun once they turned 18. The new rules close that gap, making it harder for young adults with a history of violence to acquire firearms.