Posted on 04/12/2018 7:51:19 AM PDT by Simon Green
Hey Phil, would you sign a bill if the legistrators pass a law banning Stock Car Racing? Or would you sign a bill if they banned Snowmobiling or Naturism? My guns never killed anyone and I doubt 99.99% of NRA members guns didn’t either...
If this is your criteria how far do you propose to take it? Why not deny all adult rights and responsibilities until the age of 25? Certainly driving is a responsibility no 16 yr old should be allowed, based on your single article. Nor should anyone below the age of 25 ever be trusted with weapons of war, I suppose. But, press your point with the public at large and lets see how far you get. And, what do you propose for the elderly when mental capacity begins to diminish? Who makes the decisions for these people? Another scientist writing another article? This is thin ice in my opinion.
He is just a little bit pregnant.
Hey, I didn’t say it was workable, or would get public approval. ;-)
All I’m saying is that representative governments pick an age at which a consensus of those represented think an “average” person has developed the mental capacity/stability to handle a particular responsibility.
I’m being academic, not suggesting any actual policy.
Fair enough. I just have a problem with our government telling citizens they are on the hook to fight for the country at 18 but will not be able to enjoy all the freedoms for which they risk death until age 21 or perhaps later.
I get that. It’s an issue with me as well, somewhat. But look at it this way: We don’t even allow a 30 year old to become president. There is an age at which you can be very useful for the survival of your country, but your brain is not developed enough to be trusted to make some rational decisions when not under strict authority.
But again, I’m talking philosophically and academically. I have no problem with young men buying guns in most cases.
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