A common theme from anti-2A activists is that we should keep guns out of the hands of minors, and I’d like to think that we can all agree that it’s a terrible idea to allow a preschooler to have access to a loaded firearm.
But instead of simplistic answers to the question, maybe we should act like adults and take a more nuanced approach to our thoughts on legal minors having access to firearms.
Here’s what I mean: if you have a young person who has developed the maturity to understand that a firearm isn’t a toy, that they are dangerous tools but can be useful, then, is that a young person that shouldn’t be able to get their hands on and use a firearm if they need to?
Obviously, there’s a reason why I’m asking this question, and a story out of Kentucky has this question on my mind. Dave Urbanski writes,
During the break-in, a juvenile resident of the home discovered the intruders and saw them holding firearms, state police said.
The juvenile, acting in self-defense, retrieved a handgun and shot both males before escaping through a bedroom window, state police said.
Both intruders died.
Now, here’s what prompted my earlier question: after reading the article that I quoted above, I asked myself, “Would that kid still be alive if they hadn’t defended themselves when they found someone with firearms who had (already) broken into their home?”
I don’t know the answer to that question. Obviously, no one does because the situation didn’t play out that way.
What I can say is that, based on the little bit that we know here, it certainly sounds like this young person may be one of those “kids” (probably teenager) who has the maturity to understand when it is the rare appropriate time to use a firearm against someone else, and this kid certainly knew enough about how to use a firearm to do what they felt like they needed to do to survive the situation.
Should we be taking away from teenagers who have that appropriate maturity the ability to defend themselves when in a similar situation? What if that teenager is your 16 year old daughter when someone breaks into your home to rape her?
Personally, I’d rather my daughter to be armed and trained with a firearm once she has the maturity to read and handle the situation should it come up.
And that’s why I believe that we should change any laws nationwide that prevent our minor age (but mature enough) young people from being able to keep themselves safe.
