Is it a good idea or simply madness to be handing out gun licenses to children as young as 7 ? In the UK, there is a legal loophole which allows children under 18 to hold firearm permits. The EU last year agreed to ban anyone under 18 from having a gun. The ruling must become law in Britain by 2010. However, this does not prevent a child from gaining a gun permit.
Firearm safety should be taught to under age persons especially if they are to be around weapons and when they are being used. Still, it is ridiculous to assume that a child as young as 7 is in need of a permit to handle weapons. England handed out a total of 4, 645 underage licenses in the last two years.
Firearms do not kill by themselves, they are only as dangerous as the person behind them. Do gun laws really work? I think not. With the vast array of weapons available on the black market, a firearm can be accessed to those wishing to use one for all intent and purpose. Am of the belief that if you point a weapon at someone the purpose is the same whether it is loaded or not, would a child with all the training and skill given to gain such a license, think in a fit of rage or in play mode to check if the gun was loaded? This is how unfortunate accidents occur even with adults. A child does not have the same thought process that an adult has and look what some of them do when in charge of weapons.
Is it every man's legal or moral right to own a firearm? What do readers think?
