Judge Makes 18-20 Year Olds Eligible For Handgun Permits in Minnesota

[Mike]

I think everyone here knows that I am a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but I am also a supporter of using good sense. Yesterday, a Federal judge ruled that Minnesota's law that prevented 18-20 year olds from obtaining a permit to carry a handgun in public was unconstitutional. Unconstitutional because in the time of the founders there were apparently no laws preventing 18-20 year old persons from carrying firearms.

Personally, I don't believe most 18-20 year old persons have reached the maturity and life experience levels necessary to be turned loose in public with handguns strapped to their hips. I hope I am wrong.

March 31 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday struck down a Minnesota law requiring a person to be at least 21 before obtaining a permit to carry a handgun in public, finding it violated the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The order by U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez in St. Paul is the latest in a series of legal defeats for state gun control measures following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide.

AIM HERE

[Dave Grubb]

[Truckman]

In Texas 18-20 year olds are eligible for a CHL/LTC if a member of the US military......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

And to that point---at 17 I was handed an M-1-----but I was highly supervised and didn't take it to town---till I turned 18

[Mike]

In Texas 18-20 year olds are eligible for a CHL/LTC if a member of the US military......Ben

I have no problem with that, Ben. These fine young members of our military are maturing fast and receiving a lot of training the civilians won't get.

[UTAH]

What I find interesting is the comparison is to what was legal at the time of the Founders. Now, I'm not saying that negates the ruling, I'm just pointing out that children back then had very different roles in our society. For example, child welfare efforts at the time were minuscule. So, in 1800's New York City, the ASCPA (yes, the animal people) fought for children's rights when no other organizations were doing so.

Personally, I am unsure of what the proper age is for gun ownership. As Dave noted above, I too was handed firearms and artillery rounds in the Army (Armor Core) at age 17 - after extensive training in their use.

(What I thought was great is that the Army allowed me to drink alcohol when my home state would not.)

Hunter