How old did you have to be to buy a gun before the 1968 gun control act?

Before the 1968 Gun Control Act, there was no federal minimum age requirement to purchase firearms. However, many states had their own regulations, which often set the minimum age at 18 or 21 for purchasing handguns. The 1968 Act established a federal minimum age of 21 for purchasing handguns from licensed dealers, while allowing states to regulate the sale of rifles and shotguns.