Old Enough To Die

According to the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner, Dave Workman, the US Fifth Circuit Court Court of Appeals in Houston, TX today ruled that US citizens aged 18-20 can indeed be barred from purchasing handguns, regardless of what the Second Amendment of the Constitution reads.  According to Judge Edward Prado, "Congress was focused on a particular problem: young persons under 21, who are immature and prone to violence, easily accessing handguns.”

Old enough to die to protect you, but not
old enough to purchase a handgun.

In other words, if you are 18, 19, or 20 years old, you can enlist in the military branch of your choice and die for your country, but you cannot legally purchase a handgun because you might be too immature and prone to violence.  In fact, on any given day, Comp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune are full of men and women of those ages who are actively engaged in pursuing their decision to serve their country.  So are schools in Annapolis, West Point, Colorado Springs, and New London.

Young adults age 18-20 are also old enough to die for their community, serving as deputy sheriffs and police officers.  Any given day finds communities throughout the country protected by young adults in this age group, starting on careers that will hopefully not kill them before they are retirement age.

Some might argue that these young adults are only allowed to use firearms after they have undergone intense training.  While this is true, it does not guarantee that these same people will act appropriately with firearms.

Immaturity and prone to violence doesn't start at 18 and end at 21.  There are older adults who never get out of being immature and prone to violence, yet because they pass that magic number of 21, they suddenly become able to purchase a handgun (provided they pass a background check - a whole 'nother topic for a whole 'nother day).

So essentially, you have a panel of judges who just said that the bill of rights pertains to adults, with the exception of the Second Amendment.  What's strange to me is that I don't see anywhere in that amendment that an age limit is used.  It simply references a "well regulated militia" which we have already seen discussed in many other places starts at 18, not 21!

This is yet another wrongful interpretation by a group of black robed individuals who are evidently ignorant or apathetic to the meaning of the Second Amendment.  The NRA says they are considering all appeal options, as well they should.  Allowing our 18-20 year-olds to die for our country and communities while preventing them from purchasing a handgun is a double standard that flies directly in the face of liberty.

You cannot balance public safety on liberty's back.  While this ruling might make the anti-gun hand-wringers feel better, it is yet another example of a law that does nothing but erode the rights that our men and women in uniform have died to protect.