Rep. Thomas Massie Thomas Harold MassieGOP lawmaker praises Kyle Rittenhouse's 'restraint' for not emptying magazine during shooting Rep. Dan Meuser tests positive for COVID-19 Liz Cheney wins Wyoming GOP primary in reelection bid MORE (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he will introduce legislation that would lower the age requirement for buying a handgun to 18, countering lawmakers who are urging new gun controls, including a higher age limit on the purchases of some rifles.

“Why should a 20-yr-old mom be denied the right to defend herself?” Massie wrote on Twitter.

Under federal law, gun dealers can't sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. But the new legislation from Massie, a libertarian and staunch defender of the Second Amendment, would allow people as young as 18 to purchase handguns.

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Massie's move underscores just how difficult it will be to pass many of the gun control ideas touted by President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE and Democrats in the aftermath of a mass shooting at a Florida high school last month, including raising the age requirement to buy a rifle from 18 to 21.

During a televised gun summit at the White House on Wednesday, Trump called for imposing new age requirements on rifle purchases. The 19-year-old suspect in the Florida shooting is believed to have legally obtained the AR-15 he allegedly used.

The age limits proposal has picked up some support among several Republicans.

But setting the age requirement for all gun purchases at 21 is fiercely opposed by the National Rifle Association and many conservatives, who argue that the age requirement for handguns shouldn’t have been that high in the first place.