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18yr old have an absolute right to own firearms! Increasing the age is ludicrous!

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posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 09:04 PM
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I've heard some of these kids say that they think the age for purchasing a gun should be raised to 21 and other kids were saying they though that "weapons of war" (isn't it great that they are coming up with new buzz words like this) to which he was referring the AR-15, should not be available to an 18 year old (if they should be available at all) and a more reasonable age would be 21. Well this really isn't a weapon of war, I'm not sure the military equips their men with AR-15's just like Nascar teams don't equip their drivers with a standard Ford Taurus. The military "weapon of war" is different in a few aspects which make it illegal for sale in the US to non permit holding individuals. Much like the Ford Taurus being a popular car in Nascar (I'm guessing), it is also popular for average drivers but it is only available with street legal components from tires, suspension & saftey features to drivetrain (emmissions). The PLATFORM is what is the commonality between the two and there may be interchangeable parts and they may look basically the same (with like paint jobs). The AR is basically exactly the same. There are military components that aren't legal for sale and the PLATFORM is the commonality between the M16/M4 & AR-15

When a person turns 18, many of them move out of the home and are on their own. They no longer have the protection of their parents and the parents are no longer responsible FOR their protection. The duty of their protection is squarely upon their own shoulders and they should have the right to select the gun which provides them the protection that is needed for their self defense. If they have a limited budget (I did as an 18yr old) they may not have the luxury of buying what is deemed "acceptable for their age" and then later the AR when they are 21. They may have the desire to have multiple calibers to shoot and in many configurations, one for in the home and one for hunting, and you know what - the AR platform allow this for less than buying 2 guns in many situations and often for less cost for a better performing gun. Maybe they want the 5.56 for hunting and an 9mm, .40 or 300BLK for home defense. Maybe they want to also be able to shoot .22LR for target practice because it is less expensive and they can also do that with the AR platform!! It's kind of the Swiss army knife of weapons.

***Just heard that the schools in the county in FL are now going to be patroled by armed sherrif's with AR-15's!! How ironic is that. Are they trying to trigger PTSD in these students? Arming them with the same gun with which they were just attacked? Kind of have to question that logic. There are other weapons with which they could arm the officers which are more than adequate for the job such as the MP-5 and HK or FN variation of the AR. It just doesn't seem right to put that gun back in the school after this.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 09:20 PM
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If an 18 year old is old enough to join the military and use an M16 in combat, they should be allowed to buy an AR15 as a civilian. To hell with anyone who says otherwise.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 09:20 PM
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Just go to Chicago, Milw, Baltimore, Gary....

The people there, of all ages, can get guns.

They can raise it all they want.

Cause its not like anyone drank under the age of 21 before.

Right?



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 10:05 PM
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I agree an 18 year old should be allowed to get a gun. But they should face a very rigorous training course and vetting process before even being considered.

I am sry to say that But damm my car insurance did not even go down tell I was 25. Teenagers are idiots.

The 19 year old kid in Florida should have never been allowed to get an AR-15.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 10:09 PM
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a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

I'd trust an 18 year old in the military with one.

A regular 18 year old kid? No chance.

Very,very few would be responsible with it.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 10:13 PM
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We are talking the same 18 year olds that are doing the tide pod challenge? Meh, not going to dispute that an 18 year old shouldn't be able to have one but they should have to go thru a stricter policy. Not just 18 year olds but everyone (talking just assault rifles).

Let this sink in for a second. More people have died from Tide Pods this year alone then mass shootings with an assault rifle. Does that mean we should consider banning pods? Where is the outrage on this lol.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 10:16 PM
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originally posted by: AnonymousCitizen
If an 18 year old is old enough to join the military and use an M16 in combat, they should be allowed to buy an AR15 as a civilian. To hell with anyone who says otherwise.

And the military performs extensive testing on an individual before "handing" them a gun.

This is actually one measure of gun regulation I'm not opposed to. You grow up a lot in those 3 specific years.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 10:58 PM
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originally posted by: notsure1
I agree an 18 year old should be allowed to get a gun. But they should face a very rigorous training course and vetting process before even being considered.

I am sry to say that But damm my car insurance did not even go down tell I was 25. Teenagers are idiots.

The 19 year old kid in Florida should have never been allowed to get an AR-15.


The majority if teens seem to be idiots in many ways but there are plenty that are not (though they seem to be hiding the last couple decades). I certainly made a lot of idiotic decisions when I was that age but one thing I never did was act like an idiot around a firearm. EVER! There were weekends where I would shoot over 1,000 rounds and I have never had an accident or problem with myself or others.

I was assaulted two different times when at college before I was 21, once with a knife wielding psycho and I can say that I would have very much liked to have had a gun at that point but I was naive at that point and thought things like that never happened. It took the police 15 minutes to get to the scene while the person tried to break down the door while my girlfriend and her roommate hid in her room and I was left holding the door closed against the aggressive intruder. The thing is the police HQ is only 500 yards away and there were probably 7-10 officers on duty at the time. 6 squad cars eventually showed up over the hour they were there after the first one showed up. Now I wouldn't have shot the person had I had a gun unless they charged me but I think had I had a gun, the situation would have played out very differently and would have been much shorter.

The thing about the age of 18 - 21 is that is the age most leave the home and they are introduced to new surroundings and new people, most of which they don't know very well at all and don't know if these people could be violent. People of this age also don't have the skills to tell if people may be unstable or possibly violent as this develops over time with maturity. They also tend to often have poor judgement in what they say and may offend people, not on purpose or maybe even knowingly, and this can lead to a confrontation where people need to defend themselves.

There are not many things that are worse than a group (8-10 people) of drugged up (coc aine) and drunk, angry, rowdy guys (of this age) that want to really hurt another person. Mob mentality takes over, judgement goes out the window, and very dumb decisions are made. There aren't many guns that would be as useful against in a situation like this and I can promise that you would be VERY thankful to have one should you ever find yourself in just such a situation. Relying on the police in a situation like this is putting your life in the hands of chance (could be bad traffic, bad weather - snow/ice, busy with other arrests, etc) and VERY dangerous and dumb - knowing how quick their response is on many of other occasions (though they are damn fast when someone lights up a joint...) relying on them is a woefully uninformed decision and very dangerous.

Another thing is that police don't have the duty to protect anyone from what I have read. It is the citizens duty to protect themselves. Should the police decide to stop a situation (crime) they can do so, but I don't beleive they have a LEGAL obligation to act or intervene in a violent situation and thus, it is imperative that a person be able to defend one's self and age discrimination is just as ugly at 18 as it is a 55, 65, 85 etc. Protecting ones self doesn't have limitations that can be imposed by some legislature even though the left may wish that it could.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 11:09 PM
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originally posted by: nightstalker78
a reply to: AnonymousCitizen

I'd trust an 18 year old in the military with one.

A regular 18 year old kid? No chance.

Very,very few would be responsible with it.


Good point about the military and their knowledge of firearms. Maybe there should be some firearms classes offered in every county. There could be basic classes and maybe more advanced ones. I guess discussing a class for guns that are considered "assault weapons" is a possibility as well. Taking a class such as this could be used in some manner to either speed the purchase of a weapon, avoid certain checks (existing and or those that may be imposed) and could be used of some kind of screening process to look for people who may have a questionable background or intentions - the instructor could observe people and also there could be "behind the scenes" checks done in an administrative manner.

I had a hunters safety class (at 12yrs old) that I had to take before getting a hunting license. I never hunted but I liked guns and really enjoyed target practice and sport shooting (skeet). I think it was 2 four hour days on a weekend and it was memorable and interesting and is a great idea for any kid who is even around guns. They did blow some safety things out of proportion though and this made me question some of the things that they said. They said "check the barrel for obstructions before EVERY shot", which isn't really possible or reasonable, checking after taking out of storage (in-use before present session) is reasonable. Telling us that a spiderweb/cobweb spun in the barrel of a shotgun can make the barrel explode had me a little worried about debris in the gun after that and was unnecessary. They actually said a tiny web (normal spider web shape - about 1/2" - 3/4" diameter, not a large nest of eggs) could make the gun explode if it wasn't cleaned out.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 11:22 PM
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originally posted by: AnonymousCitizen
If an 18 year old is old enough to join the military and use an M16 in combat, they should be allowed to buy an AR15 as a civilian. To hell with anyone who says otherwise.


That 18 year old who joins the military is also taught discipline, respect, honor, etc...

Something the majority of 18 year old high school students lack.



posted on Feb, 21 2018 @ 11:53 PM
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Some may not like this thought but, why not require a 1 year term in the army? Or whatever branch you can get into? It is my understanding that if you have a dishonorable discharge, you cannot purchase a firearm, While we are at it, return the legal age for beer to 18. If you can go and die, why not have a beer on your way? Just a thought.



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 12:08 AM
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Teenagers in the USA are eating tidepods......... I would not trust them even with a spoon.



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 12:19 AM
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When I was 18 I owned an AK and was issued an M16. The AK was fun because it had more kick. Now that I am much older I like the AR because it is easier on the shoulder.

I digress.

No screw off about what type of rifle they can own. They are all 1 shot per trigger squeeze people that get all uptight over the looks don't have a reasonable argument.



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 12:28 AM
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Not old enough to buy beer - Can buy guns.



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 01:07 AM
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No, the average 18 year old shouldn't be able to buy a gun. We await many things in life until adequate maturity sets-in.

I don't like the people that find themselves believing themselves to be morally superior by means of being simply of a generation. No matter the generation, perhaps with WWII generation as an exception, ones forced into adulthood and responsibilities much sooner for many reasons, but for any other generation including all those here, the older generation looked (rightly, usually) down on them as woefully inferior in plenty of ways.

It's one of the only universal truisms. The "old guard" will believe the new are taking the entire world to hell. It's possible that the older generations are doing so, looking at where we are today with the single dumbest, most fearful little man in the Oval Office ever.

There is no "personal right" to a firearm. Period. If you don't believe me, commit a federal felony. You'll have your right to ever owning a gun infringed quite immediately, long past your sentence, i.e. forever. You don't lose your 1st Amendment rights, nor your 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th or 14th, those personal rights. You do lose your 2nd amendment rights. Guns can be regulated, even Scalia recognized such.



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 03:48 AM
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You're legally an adult when you turn 18, in most of the United States. However, from a scientific perspective, adulthood is an unsolved mystery. Even neuroscientists don't know when adolescence ends and adulthood begins in the brain -- after all, our brains are constantly changing, according to a new opinion paper published in the journal Neuron on Wednesday.You're legally an adult when you turn 18, in most of the United States. However, from a scientific perspective, adulthood is an unsolved mystery.
Even neuroscientists don't know when adolescence ends and adulthood begins in the brain -- after all, our brains are constantly changing, according to a new opinion paper published in the journal Neuron on Wednesday.

edit on 22-2-2018 by brokenghost because: (no reason given)



You may think you're grown up at 18, but our brains don't fully mature until after we hit 30. mentalhealthdaily.com...

edit on 22-2-2018 by brokenghost because: (no reason given)



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 04:36 AM
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I'm all for the 2nd Amendment, but we need to seriously start to recalculate what we deem an "adult" in modern America.

Here's some science to back that up:

Prefrontal Cortex



Definition
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the cerebral cortex which covers the front part of the frontal lobe. This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behaviour. The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals. The most typical psychological term for functions carried out by the prefrontal cortex area is executive function. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social “control” (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable outcomes). The frontal cortex supports concrete rule learning, while more anterior regions along the rostro-caudal axis of the frontal cortex support rule learning at higher levels of abstraction.



Clinical Relevance

-Reduced volume and interconnections of the frontal lobes with other brain regions has been observed in people diagnosed with mental disorders; those subjected to repeated stressors; suicides; those incarcerated; criminals; sociopaths; those affected by lead poisoning; and daily cannabis users.

-Feeling guilt or remorse, and to interpret reality, may be dependent on a well-functioning prefrontal cortex.

-The size and number of connections in the prefrontal cortex could relate directly to sentience, as the prefrontal cortex in humans occupies a far larger percentage of the brain than any other animal.

-The left and right halves of the prefrontal cortex appear to become more interconnected in response to consistent aerobic exercise.

-Practicing mindfulness can enhance prefrontal activation, which is correlated with increased well-being and reduced anxiety.


So...when does the prefrontal cortex fully develop?


The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so.


Research says...


In fact, recent research has found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part.

In teen’s brains, the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing—and not necessarily at the same rate. That’s why when teens experience overwhelming emotional input, they can’t explain later what they were thinking. They weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling.


Using science...perhaps it's time we redefine when an individual becomes an adult. If a person's prefrontal cortex isn't fully developed, then how about you cannot buy alcohol, marijuana (legally, of course), or guns. I would even go so far as to suggest that they not be allowed to enlist in the military until that time.

We are putting far too much stress and responsibility on young people these days, and they have to try and balance that out with modern day technology, social pressures, and expectations of perfection. We should slow it down...Keep the education system flowing till, say for instance, 25 years old. And it doesn't have to be a university or college, they could learn trade skills during that time, or both trade skills and academics.

Just a suggestion...I'm sure this post will get blasted by the resident ATS extremists who refuse to consider alternative solutions. So...cheerio!



posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 05:17 AM
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originally posted by: Black_Fox
Just go to Chicago, Milw, Baltimore, Gary....

The people there, of all ages, can get guns.

They can raise it all they want.

Cause its not like anyone drank under the age of 21 before.

Right?



I'm 63 and still want a mini-gun.




posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 05:40 AM
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originally posted by: GeechQuestInfo

originally posted by: AnonymousCitizen
If an 18 year old is old enough to join the military and use an M16 in combat, they should be allowed to buy an AR15 as a civilian. To hell with anyone who says otherwise.


That 18 year old who joins the military is also taught discipline, respect, honor, etc...

Something the majority of 18 year old high school students lack.




Yes, big diff between boot camp and facebook.

Anyone over 30 will remember how friggin stupid they were as a teen or should.

I had guns and never killed anyone or would even threaten anybody when I was 15.

Dad gave them to me. .30/30, .410, .357 .38 and a .22.

I've shot full auto plastic Mac 11's and black powder .50 cal hawkins and pretty much every cal in between.

Winchester 30/30 is my fav. Great balance.

Can't beat the boom of the Hawkins, tho. 180 grains and it will turn heads.
















posted on Feb, 22 2018 @ 06:01 AM
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Don't spank your kids. They are fragile heroes. Every one blames it on the guns. I was raised to respect law and rules. You know ... Stay away from fire. No tweezers in the electric plugs. Easy common sence things.
Kids 0 to 23 are the new and improved generation. They weren't spanked. The never learned common sence. The states voted against it. Can't spank them can't tell them what to do. State will take the kid away.now 17 years later with the news making them famous what do they do.

It not gun laws is idiotic state laws that screwed things up.its the people we raise. Without the very basics.
Yeah i got bullied as a kid. Allot do. So what as long as it is in a controlled place. I always knew what and how far was okay. Just recycle it gor a moment




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