There’s a simple way to reduce gun violence: Raise the gun age

[SecularMotion]

This week, President Obama condemned the scourge of gun violence in America and announced a slew of executive actions intended to curb the number of shootings. Like many gun control proponents, he focused on background checks and cracking down on rogue gun dealers. While those are worthy reforms, brain science and criminological data offer another: Raise the gun age.

Federal laws on the appropriate age to buy a gun are confused and nonsensical. You have to be 21 to buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer. But if you’re 18, you can buy the same gun from a seller who doesn’t have a license. This has the perverse effect of forcing young people to buy handguns from sellers who — because they aren’t licensed — don’t have to conduct background checks.

Moreover, federal law allows licensed gun dealers to sell rifles to people as young as 18. Unlicensed sellers can sell the same gun to anyone regardless of age, even a 14-year-old. And while federal law prohibits people younger than 18 from possessing a handgun, nothing in the law prevents younger teens or even tweens from possessing a rifle.

State laws close some of these loopholes, but not all. In Utah and Montana, there are no age restrictions on buying or possessing a handgun. In Mississippi and South Carolina, even juveniles can buy and possess a rifle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/01/06/there-a-simple-way-to-fight-mass-shootings-raise-the-gun-age/