mojo84 wrote:LDB415 wrote:The only thing I know is that the brain develops slowly and no matter how much we all think our own children are exceptional they are also children until sometime in their 20's when their brain finally finishes 'percolating'. What I don't know but highly suspect is that everyone speaking about their exceptional child who should have every right and privilege knows many other children of many other parents who are not nearly as exceptional as their own child. They know that while their exceptional child need not be worried about at all with the HEAVY responsibility imposed by the burden of carrying a firearm, the other definitely less exceptional children could and would be a worry being armed in proximity to their exceptional child.
I'm not suggesting restricting anyone else's children, only stating a reasonable reason for concern about those possibly exceptional children carrying around my actually exceptional children.
You are starting to get exceptionally condescending in your tone. I think we all know and understand not everyone matures at the same rate. Some never mature. Considering I have been self sufficient since I was fifteen and married since I was 19 and wife 18, I find your assumption everyone is still a child until their mid twenties is wrong and the way you present your opinions offensive. I was also an assistant vice president of a savings and loan and in charge of 65 million dollars of repossessed real estate at 21 years of age. I was responsible for multiple employees and a lot of assets long before I was of age to buy a handgun or a beer.
The question is, what is the "magical" age of maturity and what should the law be. Do we set the law to match the lowest common denominator?
True, not everyone is a "child" until their mid twenties. However a little Googling will show that generally, 18 year olds are different in their maturity (not necessarily intellect or reasoning but the part of the brain that controls emotional response) than 25 year olds. Most independent studies (University/APA/NIH/etc) agree that this is true. The automobile insurance industry empirically knows its true (male driver rates go down at 21 and 25). The alcohol studies concur. The military concurs. As one study noted, 18 year olds in the military carry and use all kinds of weapons, but are not in SF. There is a maturity required there they don't have.
We can set the age to carry a firearm at 18, I'm fine with that, but in general 21 year olds are more mature than at 18 (but not by much!) and 25 year olds are more mature, generally than 21 year olds, by a fair amount.
To say that there are 45 year olds that haven't 'percolated' yet or I was fifteen and married since I was 19 and wife 18 or I was also an assistant vice president of a savings and loan and in charge of 65 million dollars of repossessed real estate at 21 years of age are all red herrings. They only thing they prove is you are or have observed instances fairly outside the mean.
I am OK with 18/19 year olds carrying, but their maturity level, in general, is NOT as high as a 25 or a 45 year old. I don't doubt that those on this board who say their kids are mature enough to carry (mine are!!) but if they are anything like their parents, judging by the intelligent conversations on this board, they are on the upper side of the maturity curve for their age. The 'doesn't fall far from the tree' thing, in a positive light.