In order to purchase a shotgun, rifle, or ammunition for a gun, in the United States one must be eighteen years of age.

For any other types of firearms and ammunition, one must be twenty-one years old. The U.S. is prone to violence and particularly gun violence. We see this manifest itself in a variety of ways throughout U.S. society, and many of these outcomes directly impact youth. Some youth are affected by one of their parents being incarcerated (if not themselves) due to gun violence, which is often exacerbated by the easy access of firearms. There is often a high probability that youth will be directly impacted by this gun violence. As such, youth in the U.S. must confront and grapple with the impacts of the culture of guns in ways that other youth in developed economies do not have to worry about. Due to the increased economic strain associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, urban centers have especially seen rates of criminality increase, with a significant portion of this surge being tied back to youth.

Additionally, urban schools are more likely to have police officers in their schools, as well as have students to go through metal detectors and other forms of security in order to enter their school before the school day begins. It is important to note that violence also occurs in schools as well. School shootings have become a regular occurrence in the United States. While terrifying for both students, educators, parents, and communities, there are still polarizing debates about gun rights and school safety. Since 2018, there have been 119 school shootings in the United States.Student and parent advocacy groups are working to push for legislation that would increase gun control in the hopes that it will lower the rate of school shootings.