[Moparmike]

I have heard many things from people here and in gun-related activities that "under 21 years old should not have a handgun" or "I wouldnt let anyone under 21 years old have or buy a handgun." Why? What makes 21 such a great line in the sand?

I realize the "18 yr old for everything" idea has been flogged to death, but why do individuals feel this way aside from the legal repurcussions? Its infuriating to hear that "you are so responsible yadda yadda yadda" but then its "Hell no, you arent X, Y, and Z enough" from aquantences or complete strangers in real life or online. Again, I ask: "Why?"

[jsalcedo]

I'ts all about boundaries.

Our society is filled with them. There are lines to be drawn and we elect the ones that draw them.

.08 for legally drunk

16 for driving

18 for rifle

35 for president

There are exceptions where there could be a responsible 10 year old with handgun and a 25 year old president.

But no one wants to take the chance and find out.

[El Tejon]

Gee, jsal, we had plenty of exceptions to 18 and 21 before November of '68. There were no problems compared to today. Plenty of people were better off "taking chances" then as compared with today.

BTW, had my first pistols and shoulder weapons waaaay before 21 and 18 respectively.:)

[J Miller]

I guess what bugs the crap outa me is that you can be drafted or enlist to serve your country, and vote at 18. But you can't buy alcohol or a handgun.

It made no sence in 1968 when the GCA68 was passed, and it makes no sence now. It's just an arbitrary age picked out by the powers that be, with no purpose but to control the public.

NM, and MO have CCW laws that say you have to be 25 and 23 to get a licence. Again it makes no sence.

[BigG]

you can be drafted Since when?

[jsalcedo]

There were no problems compared to today. Plenty of people were better off "taking chances" then as compared with today.

Yeah I wish it were like that again. Many people are afraid of their own shadow and we are all punished for what we "might" do instead of what we actually do.

[Hkmp5sd]

If I had to venture a guess, I would say the age of 21 was chosen because that is about the age of a person graduating from college. Most of the people creating the laws were/are college grads, so they considered 21 the age a person became an adult.

The same people didn't want their kids to have to go fight wars (ala Bill Clinton), so they decided those that did not attend college for whatever reason, while not old enough to drink or buy guns, were plenty old enough to get drafted and sent off to war at the age of 18.

Since when? Since anytime given you have to register for selective service at 18 and can be drafted anytime the government wants to crank the system back up.

[BigG]

Oh. I didn't think they pulled anybody in since about '71. Gee, you 18 - 20 year olds got a tough row to hoe. :eek:

[Hkmp5sd]

Wanna hear a good one? I did 6 years active duty. When I was discharged at the age of 24, I was required to sign up for selective service.

[Standing Wolf]

If you're old enough to pay taxes, vote, serve in the military, et cetera, you're old enough for the rights, privileges, prerogatives, and responsibilities of full citizenship.

[Moparmike]

Standing Wolf, how would you like to become a congressman or senator?:D

Seriously, go tell that to the friggin morons who make these laws so the ones who enforce the laws can use a seldomly found trait in today's society: Common Sense.

[Moparmike]

HK, that doesnt make any sense. However, the government seems to be completely bereft of sense-making. Seems to be their main talent these days.:rolleyes: :fire:

[C.R.Sam]

Old enough to pay taxes....
Uh....I think anyone with enough income pays taxes.
Don't think I want a five year old child with a big income voting.
Taxpaying chile does have representation, in their parents or guardian.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Sam

[goon]

I have often wondered the same thing.
When I got out of the Army, I was still only twenty.
I couldn't handle a .357 in a gunshop, eventhough the AT mines and HE that I had been using could have caused a hell of alot more damage than any pistol.
A guy I know was a pilot in Vietnam. He told me that eventhough he was in charge of a helocopter with two M-60s mounted on it, he couldn't buy a handgun when he got home.
There is something screwy going on there.
The good news is this; Depending on where you live, it may be legal for you to have a parent buy a gun for you and give it to you. Private transfers between immediate family is still legal in some states.
You are then under 21 with a handgun.
Sneaky, huh?:D

[cma g21]

Some people are ready for adult responsibilities at 14 and some still aren’t ready at 40.
Since it’s not possible to determine this on an individual basis, some arbitrary age seems the best answer.
My own state reduced the drinking age from 21 to 18 in the 1970’s, but large numbers of fatal DUI crashes involving 18-20 year-olds eventually brought about a return to the 21 year-old limit.
The fact that 18-20 year-olds can serve in the military is often used, and I believe correctly, to justify reduction in the age of full adult rights to 18. The negative experiences of some states that have reduced the age are used to justify keeping it at 21.
Maybe we can get the Legislatures and Congress to compromise and set the age at 21, except for those serving in the military (where the age would be 18)?

[Joe Demko]

Service in the military is pretty far from proof of maturity or good judgement. A fairish number of the young men I served with were just out-and-out idiots. How many of you who are upset at the "unfairness" of the age 21 rule are over 21 years of age? For the sake of quieting the whining, I favor a single age of majority for all things. It should be 21.

[Missouri Mule]

Have a little patience...all of us who have passed 21 know how you feel.
It is my feeling that 21 is simply an arbitrary number.

You'd have to wait two more years according to MO's new ccw law.

[Revolver]

That line in the sand just gives me time to save up for the 5 I want.
Man, thats going to be wad of cash.
But I can't wait to spend it.

Revolver

[greyhound]

I agree that if you're old enough to fight, you should be able to own a handgun.

That said, though, there's some percentage of people in this country (20%? 25%?) who don't think anyone of ANY age should be able to own a handgun.

Let's deal with them first, then worry about minimum ages.

[Destructo6]

21 is an arbitrary number, but I wish it was consistent. IOW, if you're not adult enough to drink and purchase a pistol (not at the same time, of course:) ) , you should not stand trial as an adult nor serve as an adult, etc.

As I said back in 1995, when the 3rdMarDiv was thinking about prohibiting ETOH consumption by <21 y/o Marines; if you're old enough to fight for your country, then you're old enough to toast your country with liquor.

[swifter]

The way I heard it -- Back when I was under 21 -- Was that was the age when a youth was considered to have the physical growth, and training to handle the tools of a knight: Sword, shield, lance, and horsemanship.
Probably a lie.:rolleyes:

I support full majority at 18 if they are self-supporting taxpayers receiving no government support/benefits. :p

Tom

[Dorrin79]

the government should not be allowed to deprive anyone of the exercise of their rights (all of them!) once they are considered an adult.

(one could make the anarcho-capitalist argument, which I find fairly convincing, that age restrictions are immoral in and of themselves - it should be up to the seller whether or not to trade with the person regardless of age)

At the very minimum, though, I don't think 18 is an unfair age. 21-yr restrictions should be reduced to 18-yr like the others.

I wonder if there's an equal protection issue in this?

[BHPshooter]

You are then under 21 with a handgun.
Sneaky, huh?

"You mean there are people out there who are younger than 21 that have handguns?!?" The nineteen-year-old says, as he coddles his BHP... :rolleyes:

Really, there is no magic wand that is waved on the morning of your 21st birthday. There are plenty of people under 21 who are very mature, and very sensible. And I know of lots of people who have passed the 21-year mark that I sure as hell would NOT want to see playing with a handgun.

It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of responsibility.

Wes

[AZLibertarian]

As I think back--Oh, those many years--to when I was between 18 and 21, it probably did seem unfair at the time. For me, it was softened somewhat by being in a state where 3.2 beer was available to the "Under 21" crowd.

However, as I look back at myself and others, there is quite a bit of growing up left to do between 18 and 21. I think a structured life is the key. Many of us get that structure in some sort of college environment, others in a military life, still others in some low-level employment that serves essentially as an apprenticeship. Since society has to put down a line somewhere that defines where the full rights of a citizen begin, I'd agree with 21.