For medical reasons, it could certainly be argued that way. Actually, it could be argued that the age for almost all full citizenship rights should be raised to 25. And while it may not be directly gun related, it certainly argues that the drinking age should be higher since alcohol directly affects judgment anyway.Oldgringo wrote:Skimming through the thread and the result of your above research seems to have been glossed over. If I'm reading this right, your research seems to support the generally accepted aged of 21 for eligibility for a CHL among - other things?srothstein wrote:I have been doing some research that is related to this type of subject for a school paper. It is now well accepted medically that the part of the brain that controls judgment does not fully develop until the early twenties. It is also well known that most people stop committing crimes as they pass through their twenties and into their thirties.
From this, I have developed a theory I am working on that some juvenile delinquency is not caused by a desire to commit crime, especially not to injure people. There is a certain element of thrill seeking in committing what the juvenile sees as a victimless crime. This is not to say the crime itself is victimless, but it may be seen that way by the juvenile, like shoplifting.
If enough real research is done and could prove me right (I have not yet figured out what is needed in this respect), it could indicate a need to reform some of our juvenile justice laws. For example, many more crimes should be forgiven if there is still a clean record after enough years and some age have passed.
Of course, I also do not support permanent bans on anything for many convictions, even for adults and real victims. If the person has gone straight and is safe to be in society, there is no need for further punishment.
The problem with doing it just for one thing, CHL, drinking, or whatever, is that the politics seem to argue that you need judgment for some things and not others. Is poor judgment more dangerous with guns, drinking or voting?