OK bill would allow 18 year olds to ccw

[harmonic]

Eighteen-year-olds would be allowed to carry concealed weapons under a bill passed out of a legislative committee. The bill lowers the age at which people can receive a concealed-carry license from 21 to 18 and is now heading to the state House for a vote.

The bill is sponsored by Representative Jerry Ellis who says it was requested by the Oklahoma Rifle Association.

ORA director Charles Smith says if people can vote and serve in the military at age 18 they should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon.


http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0308/501346.html

 

[harmonic]

I think only people over 50, 6'6" tall and over, with gray hair and green eyes should be allowed to ccw, drive, vote, marry............


(Just kidding.)

Now OK needs to eliminate the stupid "gun free" zones such as schools, etc. Let these young people have the ability to defend themselves.

 

[mordechaianiliewicz]

I've been saying this forever now. If you can die for the USA at 18, you should be able to protect yourself with a gun on her soil at 18.

Glad atleast some of the pols in Oklahoma seem to understand this.

 

[RP88]

now if they could change the drinking age...

 

[dwave]

I think only people over 50, 6'6" tall and over, with gray hair and green eyes should be allowed to ccw, drive, vote, marry............

Hmm, only need to grow 3 more inches and wait 23 more years and I can DRIVE!!!

Glad to see that they are trying to get some good laws going on.

 

[dewage83]

Cww At 18

now while i do think your point is there i,within MY beliefs, believe that some 18 year olds are not mentally capible of handling and using a gun PROPERLY in a situation. if this law was to pass i believe the process for an under 21 year old should be alot stricter. Im only 20, i would love to be able to carry and defend myself perhaps that situation may present itself to me. But not if that means i would have to worry about the others that also had carry and were not able to maintain controll. When i see a man, say over 25, with a gun i feel MORE than confident im not going to get shot. accidental, purposly, ect. there are kids i know with no criminal/metal health background that would probably be applicable. because they do not have one simply means they 1 didnt get caught or 2 never went for help witht he issues they face. my reason 2 is why i would not like to see this kid carry a concealed weapon.(the korean kid who shot up the college and said "you could have stoped this"... was a leagal buyer or firearms.) sure some kids are way more than capible of responding in a responsible way, but most arnt. i do agree that they should lift the gun free zones in the wake of recent events. it would help way more than it would hurt. Also im pretty sure any military personal can purchase any gun at any time.(here in CT)

 

[Ske1etor]

i,within MY beliefs, believe that some 18 year olds are not mentally capible of handling and using a gun PROPERLY in a situation.

Think about what you are saying and look at these pictures...

Yep, people under 21 can't be trusted with concealed firearms... but they can protect this country that we hold so dear. I understand that you stated that "Some" 18 year olds aren't capable, but neither are some 50 year olds, or 30 year olds. To speak of limiting ones freedoms due to a misconstrued view of a generalized group is extremely democratic of you. I am not attempting to start an argument but just voicing my opinion.

 

[Lurp]

I'm with Ske1etor, if you old enough to go and die to defend your country with weapons that are illegal for civilian ownership, you should be allowed to buy a drink, CCW, gamble, etc...

 

[dmxx9900]

I turn 18 in 2 months I already pre-registered to vote and am ready to get a real job soon.Now if only Florida lowered the age to get a ccw to 18 instead of 21 I would be very satisfied because all I can do at 18 in Florida is have a loaded pistol in the car in a holster under a seat or glovebox.
But this is a good first step though I hope other states follow this.

 

[Lon371]

Indiana already has ccw for 18 year olds. They can not purchase but they can carry. I think it is a good thing. Now if they would get rid of the gun ban around schools. But I will not expect to see that any time soon.

 

[LAR-15]

I believe Idaho already allows this

 

[harmonic]

According to.......

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

......the following states allow 18 year olds to carry.

AL
CA
DE
IN
IA
ME
MD
MT
NH
ND
SD
TX
VT
WY

 

[ashtxsniper]

Not Texas unless they changed it in the last year.

 

[langenc]

Maryland and California??

Maryland wont let me carry there with my MI license.

 

[kurtmax]

Alabama allows 18, but it's kind of in a weird situation. Most sheriffs refuse to issue permits until you are 21. The time it would take to sue the sheriff to force issuance would take longer than 3 years... go figure.

 

[hirundo82]

Not Texas unless they changed it in the last year.

Military personnel can get a Texas CHL at 18.

Texas Government Code § 411.172. ELIGIBILITY
(g) Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(2), a person who is at
least 18 years of age but not yet 21 years of age is eligible for a
license to carry a concealed handgun if the person:
(1) is a member or veteran of the United States armed
forces, including a member or veteran of the reserves or national
guard;
(2) was discharged under honorable conditions, if
discharged from the United States armed forces, reserves, or
national guard; and
(3) meets the other eligibility requirements of
Subsection (a) except for the minimum age required by federal law to
purchase a handgun.

 

[Luku]

I hope it passes. I agree with the bill, if I can die for my country at 18. I should be able to ccw to defend myself.

 

[Gray Peterson]

I absolutely cannot agree with this argument:

now while i do think your point is there i,within MY beliefs, believe that some 18 year olds are not mentally capible of handling and using a gun PROPERLY in a situation. if this law was to pass i believe the process for an under 21 year old should be alot stricter. Im only 20, i would love to be able to carry and defend myself perhaps that situation may present itself to me. But not if that means i would have to worry about the others that also had carry and were not able to maintain controll.

Someone else made a good point about the situation. In Oklahoma, the licenses are over $100, you need to pass OBSI training course, which also costs money, etc.

Considering that fact that maybe 2% of the adult population gets a license to carry, you can bet that only those who are most serious about their rights and their responsibilities will get a license.

One more thing, Indiana has allowed 18 year olds to carry, both concealed and OPENLY, with a license to carry, with NO TRAINING, and I haven't heard of tremendous amount of reports of misbehavior by 18-21 year olds in that state, which has been shall-issue longer than Florida.

 

[Ithaca37]

Military personnel can get a Texas CHL at 18.

That doesn't really count. Here in Maine you can get a CWP at 18 without needing to meet some stupid extra qualifications like being in the military.

 

[Kim]

BC (before Clinton) and 18 year old was treated more as the adult they are. You could own, buy and posses handguns. I say give them adults back their rights. I carried on campus and had my handgun in the dorm and all was well.

 

[dewage83]

due to a misconstrued view of a generalized group is extremely democratic of you. I am not attempting to start an argument but just voicing my opinion.

sorry but you must be a true born gun nut. heres my opinion restated to clear things up. most 18 year olds will still react like a child when pushed into that corner. if you are military or trained security guard or anything of the similar, go ahead and allow a ccw.for those circumstances but if we had a ccw for 18 here in ct i think people would be gettin shot alot more often.and alot of 18 year old would buy them for thier friends who couldnt own one. I agree it would be nice but so would lowering the drinking age. but if you dont believe that more people would be drunken driving putting inncocent peoples lives at risk then you must be a real drunk.(for the analogies purposes) i am furtherst from democratic i just believe that my BRAIN is more powerful that my affiliated parties political views. CRAZY isnt it. unlinke most i THINK about the issue not weither it would be convient or not. think about the big picture not just your personal ownership of firearms. and sorry to everyone who thinks that noone 18 is going to ever shoot someone with out proper circumstance(threatened with death). your mind/body isnt fully developed untill 21 in men. those 3 years dont matter, there just extra learning right?>

 

[dewage83]

I hope it passes. I agree with the bill, if I can die for my country at 18. I should be able to ccw to defend myself.

- go join they will give you fully atuo. then you will DESERVE to own firearms before the rest of us 20 yr. olds

 

[cdcmj]

I hope the poster with the list of states above was KIDDING about MD..

 

[Gunnerpalace]

ccw for 18 here in ct i think people would be gettin shot alot more often.

Ahem, In VT you can CCW at 16 and when was the last time you heard of someone going postal there, keep in mind I am not a die hard gun nut either I think you should be able to CCW at 18 after passing whatever your state requires for paperwork.

 

[teknoid]

Out of all the states that allow carry at age 18, how many have experienced a problem with it? Sounds like somebody here needs to do a little research before jumping to conclusions. In fact, they sound just like the antis who rant against ANY concealed carry (blood in the streets, wild west, etc).

I know plenty of young people that I would feel more comfortable around (armed) than a lot of folks MY age (and that ain't 18, dang it. I'm a middle aged type).

The proof of what would REALLY happen is already there, and it's... nothing special.