You can drive a car at 16, a potentially very lethal weapon. You can vote for our President at 18. You can volunteer to fight & die for your country at 18, and the government can force you to as well. You can enter into contracts legally, including marriage, and yet you can’t purchase a handgun legally from a dealer due to the GCA 68’.
So when is an adult not really an adult? Obviously when it comes to protecting themselves and their families. A Lubbock, TX gentleman is attempting to change that and is getting help from the NRA. I hope he succeeds.
I’m sorry I don’t support this. I think 21 is the right age to buy a firearm. I could care less if it’s a long gun or a handgun. Too many maturity issues with this kind of thing. I don’t think an 18 year old can completely fathom the responsibilities of firearm ownership. Think about it, most 18 year olds are either still in, or just finishing high school. Sorry, this would get a no way from me.
I guess its a good thing our military is not made up of a bunch of under 21 year olds, people under 21 are not driving on the roads, not getting married, signing legal contracts, ect. I also didn’t know on your 21st birthday a fairy comes around, and injects maturity so you wake up a responsible adult.
Sorry but I was driving around at 16 going to trap shooting matches, to the range, ect. At the time (and may still be) I could transport firearms for lawful purposes with a letter from my parents.
There are plenty of people over the age of 21 who are not mature enough to have guns. Hell, what about a 90something year old man who is bound to have an ND with a firearm, he can buy one.
Its stupid to say an 18 year old can defend a right he himself can not have.
I am sure there are 20 year olds driving tanks in the military. So you’re saying at the age of 20 you can be responsible enough to opperate a $6.2M piece of hardware but you can’t own a handgun?
I hope this is yet another win for our side on a 2A issue.
A 17 year old can enlist in the army and run belt-fed weapons.
Also, I would point out that we need to be consistent. I might think that people under age 21 cannot completely fathom the responsibilities of becoming a parent, but the courts have already ruled that procreation is a protected right, even though it does not have an amendment all to itself like the 2nd Amendment. So if 21 is the magic age, then it is the magic age for everything.
I hope he succeeds. I had a handgun long before I turned 21 too. Some people will never be mature enough to own a firearm, breed, or hold down steady employment. You just cant stop it.
I fail to understand the logic behind this law in the first place. Really, its just a side arm. Rifles and shotguns are capable of much more destruction. So is a car for that matter. If my children are mature enough when they move out of the house they will all be armed and stocked with ammo.
Completely different animal, they have received at least a rudimentary amount of training. There was a time when 18 year old service members could drink on post.
I think a majority of CIVILIANS under 21 should not have the ability to purchase handguns. I am a Veteran so I want to state I feel there should be an exclusion for the military, it is something that could very easily be applied.
I’m certain that nobody here wants urban youths to pimp walk down to the nearest gun store and pick up a Glock fotay. I think to avoid a black eye for gun owners, the 21 law should stay in place.
So rudimentary training is a prerequisite to exercise the 2nd amendment? Who decides what’s considered rudimentary? Kind of sounds like European gun control to me.
I’m pretty sure, a 21 year old who’s immature is just as immature as an immature 18 year old. Maturity doesn’t have age limits.
Unfortunately the Constitution doesn’t say only 18 and above. What if Congress passed a new law prohibiting old people from owning firearms due to concerns about Dementia or Alzheimers? Or people that have bad eyesight? Would you feel the same?
Some 18 year olds have grown up around guns all their life and learned from an early age.
As someone who enlisted into the military on my 17th birthday I happen to agree that if I can go overseas and get killed for my country I have the right to own a firearm like anyone else. That includes handguns.
We are just going to have to agree to disagree. I don’t feel like getting into a pissing contest over this. Our gun rights are being taken away one by one, I really don’t need to see more shootings on the news because we (gun owners) pushed for a bad law and it bites us in the ass.
We all know criminals will get their hands on the guns that they want. I’m all for making our streets safer and I don’t want some testosterone laden teenager to think he’s Dirty Harry because the law says he can buy a gun at 18. Age doesn’t always equal maturity though, that’s why I think 21 provides a better buffer for this argument.
The difference between a civilian that is 18 year old versus an 18 year old that is in the military is monumental in most cases. So that argument is moot.
It’s pretty simple, the age of suffrage in a country should be the age some one has all the rights of an adult, seeing how in a free country the right to vote is what gives the populace power to prevent the government from depriving him/her of their liberty (ideally).
Well the argument is moot I guess, since most states 18 is legal age to own a pistol, because they recognize 18 as the age of an adult. The only one who seems to not see 18 as an adult is the federal government when it comes to alcohol and firearms.
I guess they want to wait until you can buy your booze and guns at the same time, that way you can really have some fun.
18 year olds can already own any firearm, including handguns. Some states (Indiana comes to mind) don’t restrict 18 year olds from carrying their handguns in public. Blood is not running in the streets.
It’s retarded that an 18 year old can legally buy a handgun from any resident of their state, but God forbid they want to buy one from an FFL.
EDIT: Hell of a slippery slope with the military vs. civilian stuff. There are plenty of incompetent jackasses in the United States Armed Forces, both above and below the age of 21. The oath of enlistment and even rudimentary basic military firearms training does not automatically create an innate sense of responsibility. By the same token, there are plenty of competent and responsible civilians under the age of 21.
On a side note, you mention that our gun rights are being taken away one by one, yet your stated POV in your first post in this thread would restrict them even more from what they currently are.
Unfortunately you whole argument is flawed. An 18 year old can purchase an AR15 and in many states with open carry could walk down the street with it. He could also walk into a mall and start shooting people with it just as easily as he could with a handgun.
Stupidity isn’t bound by age. There are plenty of 21 and over people who are dumbasses and shouldn’t be allowed to vote either or own a firearm. The magic age to drink alcohol is 21 and yet every year dumb ass people get DUI’s. Aren’t they supposed to be responsible and know better?
You seem to want to have it your way. Veterans should be exempt while everyone else suffers. That is plain wrong. Should we also prohibit 16 year olds from practicing freedom of speech or religion because we don’t like what they say?
Your post IMO is really rather alarming and elitist. The 2nd Amendment is for all of the people. White, black, brown or purple and regardless of age or gender.
