Military Exception for Handgun by 18 year old

Status
Not open for further replies.
SHVar said:
No, in order to buy, own, carry, handguns in most states you must be 21, it doesnt matter if you are in the military and can be issued one for carry on duty, or use on a range. The issue weapon is purely for duty in uniform.

That's not true. In AT LEAST 35 states the legal age for possession of a handgun is 18. The only state I can think of that possession of a handgun is legal at 18 and the purchase of that handgun (in a private sale) is not legal is Ohio. Here is a quick reference:
http://www.opencarry.org/age.html

and that map is not completely accurate regarding possession, because in a state such as Washington, possession of a handgun by an 18 is legal, but carrying that handgun for protection is not, so it is listed as 21 on that map.

I think a lot of people just have problems with 18 year olds being able to own handguns and defend themselves and make exaggerated statements regarding how "illegal" it is for them to do so.
 
Maybe I should have reworded that.
There are states that possession is legal for an 18 year old, but to carry is illegal. In other words being at home with the handgun on the property you live on is legal if you bought it from private sale (not from FFL, they can only sell to 21 or older). The law specifies that in order to take that handgun outside your property it is being "carried" therefore carrying it requires someone 21 or older.
Check your states specific laws on carry, transport, ownership, buying, etc before you follow someones advice. You are the one who will do the time if you follow the wrong advice.
 
Is there an exception in the military for an 18 year old on base purchasing and having a personal hand gun? This question is posed by a 17 year old in high school.

Being in the military has no bearing on it, other than there are additional restrictions the military often places on personal ownership of firearms.
 
Generally speaking, I'd say the military rather discourages their personnel from having weapons other than ones Command wants them to have, when Command wants them to have weapons at all. Certainly, enlisted personnel who are living on base have far more restrictions placed on them than does John Q. Public.
 
+1. The military really isn't very keen on members having firearms the chain of command does not have complete control and accountability of -- as strange and/or schizophrenic as that may seem.
 
In the military, you can buy and drink beer on post when under 21. I remember in BCT, a lot of young guys drinking way too much beer. a few of us "older" guys, (21 or there abouts) would go into the over 21 club to get away from the noise.

Not for a long, long, long time. In Alaska in 83, yes. At Fort Campbell in 85, no. We'd turn right out of the main gate and go into TN if we had folks < 21 with us. We'd turn left out of the main gate and go into KY if we were all above 21. The strip bars were better in KY. It's been a while, so I may have gotten my left right lefts confused.

Bravo & Charlie Companies of the 6/327 had a shootout with each other in 81 or 82. Bunch of dumb drunk stupid ****ers were hanging out the windows of the barracks and blasting away back and forth at each other. Nobody injured, but probably 40 bullet holes in the side of the barracks. There were 2-3x weekly sweeps of the barracks for guns. If you got caught, you were seriously ****ed.
 
No, you can use it as present tense, but when you try to use the past tense (+'ed') it becomes an adjective!

Not exactly. With the "-ed," it CAN be an adjective, but it can also be a past-tense verb:

Sally is a gifted child. (adjective)

John gifted a handgun to his son-in-law.
(past-tense verb)

IMO, "gift" as a verb isn't really standard usage, but is legalese for "gave as a gift."

Back to the OP--my state (New York) law says that the 21-year-old requirement for CCW "shall not apply to persons honorably discharged from the military." Oddly, it doesn't give any minimum age requirement for those people, but I would assume it isn't possible to be under 18 and have been discharged from the military. However, the federal restriction still applies, so you would be able to have a New York permit, but couldn't legally purchase a pistol from a licensed dealer. I'm guessing that gifting would be legal, but I'm wondering about private FTF sale.
 
Texas is one of those states where 18-21 can have handguns just not carry them. I used to own a few that i bought through private transfer at that age. I had my dad buy me ammo, and I could go to the range to practice and use them at home for defense. I believe you can have one in your vehicle as well because it doesn't require a conceal carry permit. Im old enough for a CHL now. :D

Federal law is about the purchase of the gun and ammo.

State law is possession
 
In Texas, active duty military can get their concealed carry license at age 18, versus 21 for civilians, so they must be able to own one (but apparently not buy one).
 
In Texas, active duty military can get their concealed carry license at age 18, versus 21 for civilians, so they must be able to own one (but apparently not buy one).

...from a Federally licensed dealer.

Never forget that part when talking about states where private-party transfers of handguns are allowed below 21.

Precision is important when it comes to the law and it is through imprecision and misstatement that the anti-gunners try to rally support.

Our best weapon is to explain, precisely, why they are wrong on the facts. Thinking people (and journalists) will take notice and begin to grant them less credibility the more we can do that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top