At 18, you can vote, enlist for the military and give your life for the defense of the country, shouldn’t you be able to carry a concealed weapon also? Idaho Gov. Little believes you should be able to carry a gun outside city limits when you turn 18.
What do you think of this new law in Idaho?
If they can die for our country, they should be able to concealed carry
If they are going to be able to concealed carry, they should be able to carry everywhere
They should be required to have training before they concealed carry
Perhaps we should change the age of a legal adult to 21 at which age they can join the military service.
I am of the opinion if we can trust people with a fully automatic weapon in the military we should be able to trust them when at home.
I agree with you most 18 to 20 year old’s have not reached maturity, but I dont think you can have it both ways. Either they are old enough to pick up a gun or they are not, military or civilian situations.
I’m actually more interested in starting a movement to change the legal voting age to 24. Same maturity reason, but also an opportunity to experience what the real world is like vs the protected one they just came from where they had the luxury of being able of determining how things “should be” without understanding how things actually work.
The 24 age restriction would allow for those that go to college right away to have 2yrs beyond the brainwashing of most of today’s colleges and universities.
The exception would be military service. Those that serve get voting, drinking and smoking rights at 18 (assuming they’re serving honorably).
Just a thought.
But to the original topic…if we’re going to allow them to own them at 18 (which I’m in favor of), we have to be willing to let them carry them at 18. Then perhaps the rest of the mature gun community can take them under our wings an reinforce the serious responsibility they’ve taken on and encourage them to train, train, train.
At 18, you are legally an adult. A lot of unwed moms fall into this category. Too old to live in homes for “minors.” Also, parents are not responsible for them anymore. A lot of these young women live in crime infested inner cities. Why would we deny them the God given right to the great equalizer in a self defense scenario? At 18, men a REQUIRED to register with Selective Service. Why should they face a possible draft into service, to defends rights they are not allowed? Either we trust them to defend their own rights, or we don’t consider them adults. 18 year olds can carry, gets my vote.
30 would actually be a logical age since it’s only between 25-30 that the human mind is fully formed and we start to have a real concept of consequences and responsibility.
And when the founding fathers were drafting our Constitution, a 15-16 year old was a man. We can’t define rights, based on the actions of irresponsible individuals. Either we trust them to fight for our country, or, us “adults” are fully responsible for these “kids.” I guess, growing up in a farm community, my view is influenced by when the young people around here start doing “adult” things. At 16, I would be in a field with 40,000 dollars worth of equipment, working hay and building fences, while my parents went to Memphis for 2 days. Maybe I expect too much from the young’uns.
If we’re going to change the age of carrying a firearm, then we need to change the age of all rights secured under the Constitution. Anything provisional for one amendment can easily lead to greater removal of rights based on other things beyond age.
I understand (and do not disagree with) the argument that people are not as mature at 18 as they are at 21. The same could be said about any person who is younger than I am. I also do not think that 15 and 16 year-old kids are not necessarily mature enough to operate a motor vehicle.
But, the real question is, does the 2nd Amendment extend to all adult citizens of the United States? 10 USC 246 defines “militia” as “all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and … under 45 years of age…” Why are those defined under federal law as “militia” not able to purchase or carry handguns but can rifles? We do not generally place restrictions on rights guaranteed under the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh or Eighth Amendments based on age. The only constitutional right that has a specific age restriction is the right to vote and that has only been in place since 1971, not including the age requirements for holding the offices of Representative, Senator and President/Vice President.
So, why do we treat the Second Amendment differently. One can say that firearms are more dangerous, but is a handgun any more dangerous than a rifle? Arguably, especially if you look at the state of our legislature and the electorate, the right to vote is much more dangerous than the right to bear arms, and many politicians want to LOWER the voting age! We are seeing the rise of the democratic socialist in our nation. They want to give away everything, paid for on the backs of the working class and would enslave the population to dependence on the government for their needs.
Let’s give the Second Amendment as much respect as we give the rest of the Constitution. “[T]he right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL not be infringed.”
If we’re contemplating moving the age of consent back to the age of brain maturity, why don’t we change the minimum age for marriage and having children? And if we’re doing that what about a test to see if a person is ACTUALLY functioning at their chronological age, maturity wise? And how would we decide that, and who makes the rules?
We have to draw a line SOMEWHERE between child and adult. The age at which we ask people to risk their lives for their country and allow them to vote seems like a pretty good place to put it. Its not perfect, and maybe its not ideal, but its good enough to bet people’s lives on, and that seems to be at the heart of what we’re talking about with concealed carry and self-defense - life and death decision making.
I think you feel the same way I do about to much government in our lives and I think we are making the same point, decide on one age for all of it and make it the same in all of our States and territories.
And stop letting people at any level mess with the Constitution our nation is founded on.
Think about it this way, you can legally drive(which isn’t a God given right) at 16. A child, in a 2 ton rocket sled on wheels, that is related to 300,000 deaths yearly. The only restriction is pass a test administered free in school, pass a simple competency of operation exam, and now your good in all 50 states. The only restrictions on what kind a car you drive, is the price of the car, and where insurance is required the cost of the insurance. I know “kids” driving hot rods and truck with 500+ horsepower on tap. Why wouldn’t we let someone 18, carry a firearm?
