There have been many diaries on this site about the tragic story of a nine year old girl who accidentally killed her instructor when she was learning to shooting an Uzi.
So I have to ask--why isn't it illegal for children to use guns.
After all, society places all sorts of restrictions on children because children don't have the maturity and judgment of adults. Children need to be a certain age in order to be able to drive an automobile Children can't drink alcohol and they can't serve in the military. Children have to be a certain age in order to get married. They cannot legally consent to having sexual relations unless they are a certain age. And they can't go into an R rated movie without a parent or a guardian. In many states, including mine, you cannot leave a child under a certain age home alone.
So why is it that they are legally allowed to use a gun, a dangerous weapon that can be intentionally or accidentally used to cause the death of another human being? Why hasn't the government set a mandatory minimum age for firing a gun?
I think that this type of legislation is long overdue.
I am sure that any rational person would agree that there is an age below which someone should not be allowed to fire a gun. I can't imagine even the most committed "second amendment rights" supporters would believe that someone should allow a baby to fire a gun. So the question becomes at what age someone has the maturity and the judgment to handle a gun (with proper training and supervision).
I would like to see legislation introduced that would ban the use of guns by anyone younger than a certain age.
And then we should let the NRA and the Second Amendment folks argue why it is okay to put a deadly weapon in the hands of a five year old.
And this will let the American people see just how far out of the mainstream the NRA and the other "Second Amendment" groups are.
And maybe, just maybe, we will be able to get some laws passed that will save some other child from the experience that the nine year old with the Uzi had this week.