• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Age limits on firearms?

Age limits for guns?

  • Good

    Votes: 9 40.9%
  • Bad

    Votes: 13 59.1%

  • Total voters
    22
You're still a kid, so how about you have a couple of kids of your own one day, then come back and tell us how easy it is to control everything, all the time, when it comes to kids.

They're called "accidents" for a reason. Some are far more permanent than others.

Some 3 year olds are still in diapers. Many are still using pull-ups. Tons still suck on binkies.

Falls right into the category of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

"You're a kid"

Yep. And I remember trying to figure out the passcode on my dads safe for days (I thought he hid my games in there) as a 5-6-7-8-9 year old and I never found out the passcode combination. Ever.

But hey, I'll take up your challenge.

My kids will get a .22 for their 3rd birthday :mrgreen:
 
An age limit would be very bad. Once established, they'd find reasons why it needed to be raised. Pretty soon you wouldn't be able to own a gun until you turned 21. I've seen things like this happen before.
 
It only seems sensible to me to limit the posession of firearms to adults.

it makes sense that children cannot go into a gun store and buy a weapon. Or carry one on the public streets or in schools or arcades. However, a child supervised by a competent adult should be able to "possess" or use a firearm.
 
Teach them young. Davy Crockett kilt him a bar when he was only 3.

my son started shooting a little walther 22 pistol at 7. at 8 he started shooting centerfire pistols like a SIG 9mm and a rifle, an AR 15 in 545X39. at 9 he started shooting shotguns-my rule is 80 pounds of body weight. At ten he started competing in shotgun events. At 11, I got him a 38 caliber revolver which he took to a training center and beat most of the adults in speed shooting events, and house clearing drills. He and I were the only two students who did not shoot a "hostage" target in a house clearing exercise or leave a hostile target un-neutralized. that year he won our club's pistol contest. Since then he has won 8 "Glock" league plaques and is the undisputed top U18 pistol shooter in this part of the midwest. He also has medaled in Olympic Trap at the Ohio championships and that was an OPEN competition meaning he shot against the best adults in the state. He has had over 80 hours of formal tactical training in defensive firearms use by top professionals and over 50,000 rounds of ammunition-many of it in timed high-stress events. At a speed shooting event last summer, the host club was also hosting the Ohio Police Olympics and most of the top Police shooters attended this event which was held between the two major OPO pistol events. My then 16 year old son soundly crushed every single cop in the contest. the only one out of 45 shooters how beat him was me. He is already being recruited by two of the top college shooting programs in the country

start kids early with good training and safe habits
 
my son started shooting a little walther 22 pistol at 7. at 8 he started shooting centerfire pistols like a SIG 9mm and a rifle, an AR 15 in 545X39. at 9 he started shooting shotguns-my rule is 80 pounds of body weight. At ten he started competing in shotgun events. At 11, I got him a 38 caliber revolver which he took to a training center and beat most of the adults in speed shooting events, and house clearing drills. He and I were the only two students who did not shoot a "hostage" target in a house clearing exercise or leave a hostile target un-neutralized. that year he won our club's pistol contest. Since then he has won 8 "Glock" league plaques and is the undisputed top U18 pistol shooter in this part of the midwest. He also has medaled in Olympic Trap at the Ohio championships and that was an OPEN competition meaning he shot against the best adults in the state. He has had over 80 hours of formal tactical training in defensive firearms use by top professionals and over 50,000 rounds of ammunition-many of it in timed high-stress events. At a speed shooting event last summer, the host club was also hosting the Ohio Police Olympics and most of the top Police shooters attended this event which was held between the two major OPO pistol events. My then 16 year old son soundly crushed every single cop in the contest. the only one out of 45 shooters how beat him was me. He is already being recruited by two of the top college shooting programs in the country

start kids early with good training and safe habits

Your son is very lucky to have had that kind of early training with so many different firearms. When I was growing up, my dad had an old 16 guage shotgun sitting behind his bedroom door with a rag stuck down the barrel. I remember lifting it as a kid and feeling how heavy it was. He used to have a .25 caliber pistol, but he gave it away to my cousin, who was in the Navy. It wasn't until a friend of his gave him that old .38 auto Colt Pocket Hammer, that we started going out to shoot it. I still have that old antique that was manufactured in 1902 as per its serial number. The gun is worth about $1,000 now. I can drill bullseyes with it, but it's almost impossible to find real .38 auto other than .38 Super Auto, which has too hot of a load. Hence, I don't fire it anymore for fear of damaging it.
 
An age limit would be very bad. Once established, they'd find reasons why it needed to be raised. Pretty soon you wouldn't be able to own a gun until you turned 21. I've seen things like this happen before.

I agree, but I could sure see in an age limit to vote as in bringing back the 21 year old age limit, like it was in my day. There are some stupid 18-year old children, who have no sense about them, who shouldn't be voting, much less carrying a gun.
 
I think legally kids shouldn't be allowed to own guns.

But I think it's a good idea to expose them to guns at a young age. Three seems a bit too young though, I can't imagine a three year old being mature enough to take it seriously.
 
I agree, but I could sure see in an age limit to vote as in bringing back the 21 year old age limit, like it was in my day. There are some stupid 18-year old children, who have no sense about them, who shouldn't be voting, much less carrying a gun.

I've got some bad news for you. The majority don't reach any appreciable level of maturity until their mid 20s at least. It's sad but true. I moved out of my parent's house at 17 and held a full time job while finishing high school. One of the most disappointing things I saw was 4 college students at a Relay For Life event try to take down a pop up canopy. Not a pretty sight. I was left wondering how they dress themselves. Then I was terrified when I realized that they would be driving home.
 
I think legally kids shouldn't be allowed to own guns.

But I think it's a good idea to expose them to guns at a young age. Three seems a bit too young though, I can't imagine a three year old being mature enough to take it seriously.

Perhaps not most, but I know a 5 year old little girl who is now learning to shoot with a 22 rifle. The supervision is exquisite. Both of her parents are Appleseed instructors. Her father and 17 year old sister are Red Hats (shoot bosses). Her 15 year old brother is an instructor in training. At 5 she spends more time on the range than any of us with the possible exception of Turtledude. She's not shy about it either. I've asked her what the safety rules are and she rattled them off like her favorite nursery rhyme.
 
Perhaps not most, but I know a 5 year old little girl who is now learning to shoot with a 22 rifle. The supervision is exquisite. Both of her parents are Appleseed instructors. Her father and 17 year old sister are Red Hats (shoot bosses). Her 15 year old brother is an instructor in training. At 5 she spends more time on the range than any of us with the possible exception of Turtledude. She's not shy about it either. I've asked her what the safety rules are and she rattled them off like her favorite nursery rhyme.

There's a pretty big difference between 3 and 5 though.

I used to take violin lessons. After I'd been doing it awhile, I helped out teaching a beginner class once a week. Most of the kids in the class were 5 or 6, but there were a couple that were only 3 or 4, and there was a big difference in maturity and attention span between the 3 year olds and the 5 year olds.
 
At age 3?...

IMO:
Age 2: Marshmellow Launching Bow
Age 3: Squirt gun
Age 4: Cap gun
Age 5: Nerf gun
Age 6: Toy pellet gun
Age 7: Paintball gun
Age 8: Air rifle
Age 9: Bow
Age 10: Air pistol
Age 11: Let her use your 22 rifle
Age 12: Let her use your 22 pistol
Age 13: .22 caliber single-shot LR Crickett that YOU keep in a safe.
Age 14: 20 gauge that YOU keep in a safe.

And so on, increasing the calibers until 18, then she gets a safe of her own while she attends college, ya know... until she gets her own place she can move her safe to and buy her own guns.
 
What is the age of reason 7...maybe..... I think at the same time driving a lethal weapon (car) is sixteen just a thought
 
If you keep it locked up and only allow her to use it at certain, supervised times, I have absolutely no issue with it. I wish someone had exposed me to firearms at a young age. I didn't actually fire a weapon until 16.
 
It only seems sensible to me to limit the posession of firearms to adults.

Ownership perhaps. There's nothing wrong with teaching a kid to shoot. My dad taught all of us when we were in the 9-10 year old age range. I got my first .22 around 12 and my first deer rifle at 14. My son learned to shoot at the same age.
 
Squid shooting.jpg

This is my son at age 14 in a house clearing drill with an OPOTA certified instructor standing behind him. The target is a "hostile" with a weapon at about 18 yards. The weapon is a Browning HP 9mm

he scored two head shots
 
I've got some bad news for you. The majority don't reach any appreciable level of maturity until their mid 20s at least. It's sad but true. I moved out of my parent's house at 17 and held a full time job while finishing high school. One of the most disappointing things I saw was 4 college students at a Relay For Life event try to take down a pop up canopy. Not a pretty sight. I was left wondering how they dress themselves. Then I was terrified when I realized that they would be driving home.

Yeah, I was stretching it when I said 21, but I remember doing some stupid things when I was 25. Wisdom only comes with age and doing things the wrong way. What a shame, young people still won't listen to us older and wiser people.
 
Responsible, pro-active firearm safety should start at an early age although I personally think three is a little too young. Six-seven seems more appropriate, but if you think you can handle it at that young an age than more power to ya.

Edit - I also believe accidents involving children resulting from irresponsible parenting in regards to handling a gun should be met with harsher punishments.
 
Responsible, pro-active firearm safety should start at an early age although I personally think three is a little too young. Six-seven seems more appropriate, but if you think you can handle it at that young an age than more power to ya.

Edit - I also believe accidents involving children resulting from irresponsible parenting in regards to handling a gun should be met with harsher punishments.

neither agreeing nor disagreeing but for what purpose?

if its deterrence -do you think someone who doesn't worry about the future consequences of a dead child is going to worry about the future consequences of violating a law?
 
neither agreeing nor disagreeing but for what purpose?

if its deterrence -do you think someone who doesn't worry about the future consequences of a dead child is going to worry about the future consequences of violating a law?

We impose punishments on crimes and consequent severity of said punishment based on many factors. Usually anything involving children increases said punishment and its severity/longevity. Deterrence is often a small part of the equation. Not that this is super relevant to the thread. I believe in responsible gun ownership, and laws in place to reflect responsible gun ownership, including safety training. Banning guns or passing gun regulations to limit availability to guns is never the answer. If I want to train my child how to shoot a hand gun to protect him/herself from a home intruder if I'm not around, that better damn well be my right.
 
We impose punishments on crimes and consequent severity of said punishment based on many factors. Usually anything involving children increases said punishment and its severity/longevity. Deterrence is often a small part of the equation. Not that this is super relevant to the thread. I believe in responsible gun ownership, and laws in place to reflect responsible gun ownership, including safety training. Banning guns or passing gun regulations to limit availability to guns is never the answer. If I want to train my child how to shoot a hand gun to protect him/herself from a home intruder if I'm not around, that better damn well be my right.

THe problem is is that losing a child due to the negligence of leaving a gun unattended is usually due to NOT thinking of the consequences

if losing a child isn't enough to make you less likely to leave a gun laying around, increased punishment won't either. and losing a child is about the worst thing you can do to a parent
 
THe problem is is that losing a child due to the negligence of leaving a gun unattended is usually due to NOT thinking of the consequences

if losing a child isn't enough to make you less likely to leave a gun laying around, increased punishment won't either. and losing a child is about the worst thing you can do to a parent

That doesn't mean we shouldn't increase the punishment though.

And this is also why I support laws mandating certain classes on gun safety and care of firearms. But support for such classes is seen as "anti-gun" around here despite the fact that I fully support buying all sorts of firearms for recreational, personal safety, etc. Including "scary automatic weapons."

Just as we mandate classes for driving before obtaining a license to operate a couple thousand pound deadly weapon, same rules should apply to guns. Not that it will prevent all accidents, but may prevent many.
 
I agree. I've always thought it was a bit dishonest of the lefty hypocrites when they want to teach sex ed in schools because kids are going to have sex anyway and then laugh at teaching abstinence, then think that 300,000,000 guns are going to somehow disappear. It makes more sense to teach about guns in school since chances are kids are going to encounter guns at some point.

As a leftist, I agree with you. Well, not about abstinence, which I think is a joke. But definitely about guns, which I view as a fundamental right to own.
 
That doesn't mean we shouldn't increase the punishment though.

And this is also why I support laws mandating certain classes on gun safety and care of firearms. But support for such classes is seen as "anti-gun" around here despite the fact that I fully support buying all sorts of firearms for recreational, personal safety, etc. Including "scary automatic weapons."

Just as we mandate classes for driving before obtaining a license to operate a couple thousand pound deadly weapon, same rules should apply to guns. Not that it will prevent all accidents, but may prevent many.

1) cars are not a constitutional right

2) operating cars on private property or owning them do not require classes

3) I already had to take a test to carry concealed on public property. CCW holders-even in states that don't require training-cause less harm than drivers
 
Giving kids guns always works out well

A Montana boy startled at being awakened in the middle of the night fired a shot through his bedroom window and killed the 15-year-old friend who had been knocking and throwing pebbles at his window, police said Monday.

Billings police officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to his head early Sunday, and he died at a hospital a short time later. Police identified the victim as Mackeon Schulte, the Billings Gazette reported.

Schulte and another boy were spending the night together and showed up at their friend's house about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a statement by Billings Police Chief Rich St. John released Monday.
 
Good or bad?

I bought my daughter a rifle for her third birthday and parents at the party went ape ****... why?

Why? Because they are either unfamiliar, thus uncomfortable, around firearms or they are part of the gun hater crowd.

I think it's great you got her a rifle. Especially one she can learn fundamentals on. Although, I think a BB or Pellet would be even better. Also, I would recommend you get her a BB/Pellet pistol to practice and learn fundamentals of handguns on.
 
Back
Top Bottom