00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5                                                                     
01 Encouraging Congress to enact legislation allowing people over 18 years of age to                                       
02 purchase handguns.                                                                                                      
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the right to bear arms is established and protected in the Second                                       
05 Amendment to the United States Constitution; and                                                                        
06       WHEREAS, under federal law and the laws of this state, an individual who is 18                                  
07 years of age or older may purchase a rifle, long gun, or shotgun from a federally licensed                              
08 firearms dealer; and                                                                                                    
09       WHEREAS, under federal law, an individual must be 21 years of age or older to                                   
10 purchase a handgun from a federally licensed firearms dealer; and                                                       
11       WHEREAS, under federal law, an individual who is 18 to 20 years of age may                                      
12 purchase a handgun from a private seller who is not a federally licensed dealer; and                                    
13       WHEREAS, in this state, an individual who is 16 years of age or older may possess a                             
14 firearm in any place except as expressly prohibited by law, such as in or near a K-12 school or                         
15 where intoxicating liquor is sold for consumption on the premises; and                                                  
16       WHEREAS handguns are commonly used in protection of self, home, and vehicle                                     

01 and, in many situations, are more practical to use than rifles or shotguns; and                                         
02       WHEREAS handguns are often used for protection against wildlife and, in many                                    
03 situations, are more practical to carry than rifles or shotguns; and                                                    
04       WHEREAS most mass shootings in the United States are committed by individuals                                   
05 with rifles that anyone 18 years of age or older may legally purchase from a federally licensed                         
06 firearms dealer; and                                                                                                    
07       WHEREAS the federal law that prohibits federally licensed firearms dealers from                                 
08 selling handguns to people under 21 years of age impairs the ability of people who are 18 to                            
09 20 years of age to protect themselves, including in the event of a mass shooting;                                       
10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature considers handguns to be a                                           
11 useful means of self-protection; and be it                                                                              
12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                            
13 Congress to pass legislation to allow an individual who meets existing federal requirements                             
14 for purchasing a rifle, long gun, or shotgun and who is 18 years of age or older to purchase a                          
15 handgun from a federally licensed firearms dealer.                                                                      
16 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President                                   
17 of the United States; the Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United States and                           
18 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Jeff Rosen, Acting Attorney General of the                                  
19 United States; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators,                              
20 and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in                                   
21 Congress.