Why raising the gun-buying age to 21 is a "feel-good" exercise

[packman]

Ranks right up there with "Thoughts and prayers"

Looks and sounds good, but why get serious about gun control - the NRA must love this sound and fury signifying nothing .

[Barn Owl]

1. People also think

You must be 21 to own a handgun that is also not true.

[Phoenix61]

2. I completely agree

The Vegas shooter was well over 21. The Sutherland church shooter was 26. The Pulse Nightclub shooter was 30. Changing the age to 21 to buy is just going to piss off the hunters and solves nothing.

[BigmanPigman]

3. Single common factor...all are males!

This is an American Macho Man problem. When will we address this glaring fact? NEVER! Men make the rules so it will be ignored forever.

[flamin lib]

4. Yeah, you're right.

I'm told that no law, no attempt to reduce gun violence will work. OK I got that.

So let's just reduce the carnage of every shooting we can't prevent.

Ban every gun that can be fired rapidly and reloaded quickly.

No semis, no leveractions, no pumps.

Make the evil doers reload one round at a time.

Careful what you ask for gunner, ya' just might get it.

[marylandblue]

5. Ok, I'm sold, raise the gun buying age to 25

That should reduce the number of mass shootings by a third. Also, if you have a kid under 21 at home, you must keep your gun in a gun safe that your kid does not have access to. That should help a little more.

[Barn Owl]

8. Many State laws

Such as mine in Michigan allow a 16 year old to travel alone with a rifle or shotgun and hunt alone.

So it would be very difficult to and political suicide if we stripped every kid in America from 8 or 10 on up of their ability to hunt.

[marylandblue]

9. Political expedience is not the issue here

That's a completely different question.

[Barn Owl]

11. I am rural

Everybody around me for the most part are Democrats and hunt. Many have tolerated the parties stance on guns but if we start taking away their ability to take their kids and grand kids hunting and stopping their older kids from being able to hunt then I think we will not like the way they vote.

[Hoyt]

10. Ha. Only 6% of Americans hunted in the past 12 months, animals anyway.

I bet at least half of those weren’t serious about hunting.

Plus, serious hunters don’t use rifles made to look like a GI Joe accessory to appeal to those with stunted maturity.

[Barn Owl]

12. How many years

Have you hunted and how do you know what is used and why it is used?

Also I was replying to a post that said lock up guns at home, all guns away from people under 21. I just pointed out that that would not fly.

[Hoyt]

22. I dont doubt people hunt with their militia rifles, it fits in with todays gun culture.

But, it’s not many people. So locking them up while not hunting is not a major problem. In fact, we could just leave them at an armory except when hunting, again talking animals.

[marylandblue]

6. Also, if thaey had raised the gun buying age to 21

after the dylan roof shooting, 17 kids would be alive today. So it would gave solved something. Unfortunately, when it comes to regulation, you can't prove how many problems didn't happen.

[Barn Owl]

13. You have to be 21

To buy a handgun from a dealer, 18 to own. 18 to buy a long gun from a dealer with 16 or less in many states to posses with out adult supervision.

The point being buying and possessing are two separate things. If we try to stop possession it will cost us dearly in my state and many others with high rates of hunting.

[marylandblue]

14. Ok, but it's still not my point, or the point of the OP

My post was in response to the OP, not any other issue. And I am tired of the subject constantly being changed every time anybody says anything about guns.

[Barn Owl]

16. Okay

Make all firearm purchases 25 and lock them away from anyone under 21, fair enough? Now what do we do to deal with this?

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/stabbing-rampage-at-pennsylvania-high-school-leaves-21-injured/

[marylandblue]

17. Good thing he didn't have a gun

[Barn Owl]

18. You are correct

Instead of being shot in the stomach a knife is much kinder.

Also this is coming out now. Law enforcement do not know where Cruz got the gun. That is all traceable to dealers and the dealer apparently turned him away!

If true he did not buy it from a dealer and raising the age would not have stopped this.

https://www.local10.com/news/parkland-school-shooting/parkland-gunman-was-stopped-from-buying-ar-15-rifle-store-owner-says

[marylandblue]

19. He bought the gun at Sunrise Tactical according to prior news reports

[DVRacer]

7. I have heard what they are going to respond with

I can tell you how the GOP will play this. They will give up the age to buy a firearm to 21 but tie in a voting age raise back to 21, and argue if they aren’t responsible enough for a gun they aren’t responsible enough to vote. I have already heard this here in my state of Oklahoma. Maybe I will be wrong but I for one don’t want to give up the 18-20 vote.

[crazycatlady]

15. raising the voting age to 21 requires amending the Constitution

[DVRacer]

20. I know that

But they will tie the two together their fates will be linked.

[samir.g]

21. It won't fix the problem, but it's just a step in a longer process

It may help keep kids from getting hooked into gun culture.

Like if you can keep them from smoking early they stand a better chance of never starting at all.

This is a long chess game.

[gratuitous]

23. This is the correct answer

No, no one thing will solve every problem our country has with guns. But actually doing something is better than what we've done for decades, which is zip-a-dee-doo-dah, at least when Congress and state legislatures weren't making things even worse. Get Americans accustomed to the regulation of firearms, and we can reverse the flow.