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If you're too young to exercise one right...

Trump wants to raise the age at which you can buy a gun? Great. ...But raise the voting age with it.



Trump wants to raise the age at which you can buy a gun? Great. ...But raise the voting age with it. This morning, President Trump took to Twitter and posted the following:

I will be strongly pushing Comprehensive Background Checks with an emphasis on Mental Health. Raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks! Congress is in a mood to finally do something on this issue - I hope!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
First, the background checks. I, and most of my pro-2A colleagues are fine with strengthening the system we already have. Let's plug the holes so people don't slip through the cracks due to shoddy work on the Government's part. If we can come up with a good way to better tie the system to metal health issues, that's great too - as long as the disqualifying red flags are tightly defined. No one should be trying to claim an eating disorder, or a temporary Xanax prescription, should cost you your rights. I've already argued that we need a much more robust mental health system HERE. Let's identify conditions and symptoms that signal a legitimate threat, and deal with them. Second, the bump stock ban. I've yet to find anyone who's even willing to attempt to make a compelling case for their continued availability. Even the NRA has signaled that bump stocks are probably worth getting rid of. They serve no purpose other than to turn semi-automatic weapons into de facto full-auto devices, thus circumventing existing bans. This one's a no-brainer. Finally, the age limit. This is the one that seems to be the most controversial. As The Hill reported, the NRA has already come out in opposition to the idea:
“We need serious proposals to prevent violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from acquiring firearms,” NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said in a statement. “Passing a law that makes it illegal for a 20-year-old to purchase a shotgun for hunting or adult single mother from purchasing the most effective self-defense rifle on the market punishes law-abiding citizens for the evil acts of criminals,” she added.

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If you would like to raise the age at which a citizen may exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, that's fine. But you also must tie that to every other right - specifically, voting

Die-hard conservatives won't like this, but I come from a long line of hunters and I don't find the hunting argument to be terribly compelling. For those that would be impacted, stipulate in the law that, while hunting, those under 21 can use the rifle or shotgun of an accompanying adult who's legally able to purchase such gear. Problem solved. Their second argument, about the single mother, fares better. Again, though, we already restrict her ability to purchase a handgun from a dealer until she's 21, so the idea that we're somehow restricting unfettered access to the latest and greatest is a non-starter. For most people, opposition to the age increase tends to be of the "give them an inch, they'll take a mile" variety. I'm certainly not immune to the slippery-slope argument. I'm well aware that the left desperately wants to eliminate the 2nd Amendment, they have an irrational hatred of your right to own a firearm, and they'd have no qualms about the mass confiscation of all guns if they thought they could away with it. Holding the line against the elimination of the 2A has nothing to do with age limits - which, as I've mentioned, already exist. It has much more to do with the Supreme Court. Electing Presidents who will appoint originalist judges is the key to beating the slippery slope. To that end allow me to propose the following: The age of majority in this country is currently 18. If you would like to raise the age at which a citizen may exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, that's fine. But you also must tie that to every other right - specifically, voting.

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If you're too "young and dumb" to drink and shoot, the same standard should apply to your ability to raise my taxes or change the laws that will affect my daily life.

Jeff Flake and Dianne Feinstein like to say that "If you can't buy a handgun or a bottle of beer, you shouldn't be able to buy an AR-15." For a moment, lets set aside the fact that she's conflating a privilege with a right and just say we have no problem with that statement. If you're too young to buy a beer or exercise your 2nd Amendment rights - presumably because you're too young to do so responsibly - aren't you're also too immature to cast a ballot that will impact hundreds of millions of lives? Sorry liberals, you don't get to have it both ways. If you're too "young and dumb" to drink and shoot, the same standard should apply to your ability to raise my taxes or change the laws that will affect my daily life. UPDATE: Since a few of you have asked, I'd say a military ID, in conjunction with the strengthened background check, should be enough to bypass this. So if you're under 21, and are an active duty or honorably discharged military member with firearms training and a squeaky-clean record? Buy away.


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