GOP Bill Lowers Minimum Age To Carry Guns
Lowers required age for concealed carry permit from 21 to 18 years old.
M1911 Pistol Gun. (Pixabay License).
Republican state lawmakers are pushing a plan that would lower the minimum age to legally carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin.
Right now, a Wisconsin resident needs to be 21 years old before they can apply for a concealed carry permit. The GOP-backed bill would lower it to 18.
“It is our obligation as the state Legislature under our oath to the Constitution of the United States and oath to the state constitution to ensure equality before the law,” Sortwell said at a public hearing on the plan.
Several gun rights groups are supporting the plan, including the National Rifle Association, Safari Club, Wisconsin Firearms Owners Inc. and Wisconsin Gun Owners Inc.
Opponents include the city of Milwaukee, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE).
WAVE executive director Jeri Bonavia said her group is opposed because under federal law, anyone aged 18 to 20 can’t legally purchase a handgun from a federally licensed firearm dealer.
“Which means that this age group that they’re talking about would likely need to be purchasing their gun from the gray market, from private sellers,” Bonavia said. “Which means that there would be no background check conducted on those purchases.”
Bonavia said she was also concerned that giving more young people access to guns would make everyone less safe.
There have been efforts to change federal law. During his testimony, Sortwell cited a July ruling from the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Virginia that would have struck down the 21-year age requirement for handgun purchases as unconstitutional. In that case, Judge Julius Richardson wrote that “we refuse to relegate either the Second Amendment or 18- to 20-year-olds to a second-class status.”
“Our nation’s most cherished constitutional rights vest no later than 18,” Richardson wrote.
But just months later, the same court threw out its earlier opinion, ruling that it was moot because one of the plaintiffs turned 21 before the mandate was issued.
Richardson’s colleague, Judge James Andrew Wynn, challenged that assertion.
“I write separately to emphasize that while, thanks to today’s technology, all vacated opinions remain available in the public sphere, they have no legal value,” Richardson wrote. “If there is any persuasive value arising from vacated opinions, it can be no more than the value of newspaper editorials.”
Richardson was nominated to the court by former President Donald Trump while Wynn was nominated by former President Barack Obama.
Wisconsin Republicans are also considering other gun legislation during the remaining months of the state’s legislative session. That includes a plan that would let people with concealed carry permits keep guns in their vehicles on school grounds.
Listen to the WPR link here.
GOP plan to lower minimum age for concealed carry permits in Wisconsin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
*******“It is our obligation as the state Legislature under our oath to the Constitution of the United States and oath to the state constitution to ensure equality before the law,” Sortwell said at a public hearing on the plan.************
Republicans like Sortwell love the constitution if it supports gun rights but hate the constitution when it supports voting rights… go figure.
Who comes up with this crap. Hey why stop at 18 year olds give 5 year olds the right to have a gun imagine the kids at recess. Why in the world would anyone vote for a stupid idea like this. Insane to give kids a way to have guns and kill others we all know that not all 18 year olds are so responsible and mature. Some are and many are not. . There is no reason in the world for a ridiculous law like this others then some right wing nonsense they will claim. Face it this is about the states right wing white supremacists using their power in our gerrymandered Republican controlled legislature to promote hate division and the gun lobby. People on the right who are unhinged like liar Ron Johnson and Robin Vos who wills ay and do anything to gain power! Sick Republican politicians who want laws like this to stir up more trouble and will only promote more death and hate. Shame on these people. Lets hope this law does not pass and I would suggest that anyone who promotes a law like this gets quickly shut down and removed from office. We need sanity brought back to our state and our nation. Not guns and ignorance and more division.
Keep in mind the Republicans in Wi Congress who would give guns to children and also would gleefully steal your vote and your future elections and this is what they are up to currently. Vote them out while your vote still means something.
I guess not enough people are dying of covid.
Who comes up with this crap. Hey why stop at 18 year olds why not give 5 year olds the right to have a gun imagine the mayhem at recess. Why in the world would anyone support a stupid idea like this. Insane!!! This stupidity would give more kids a way to have guns and kill others.
There is no reason or excuse for this insane idea but to gin up hate and make more money for the gun lobby and the real reason is to work up the unhinged right wing Republicans who want laws like this and to vote for Republicans who only seem to promote death and hate and whip up anger with lies regarding social issues and racial issues all to empower one nutty republican politician or another. Shame on these sick people. Lets hope this ignorant idea does not pass and I would suggest that anyone who promotes a law like this would be shut down and removed from office. These politicians who are self serving do not govern are only working to make a name for themselves and for likes on social media and to build a brand for themselves. They could care less about the right wingers they serve they only want power and money.
We need sanity brought back to our state and our nation not guns and ignorance. So the answer is Wisconsin get involved be sane be decent be kind try to work together we have so many real issues and lets get rid of these nuts on the right they are dangerous! We have seen a taste of what they are capable of doing as we saw during the insurrection.
Keep in mind the Republicans in Wi Congress and many republican held states who would distract you by giving guns to children and other bs and get you worked up would gleefully steal your vote and your future elections and this is what they are up to currently.
Vote them out while your vote still means something.
Get involved! Vote and protest giving children guns. Protest the lies coming at you. The sane majority knows there is not an argument in the world to support putting more guns in anyones hands.
Have you noticed the degree of self-righteousness here? Expanding gun rights is what our founding fathers would want. Diminishing gun rights is a slippery slope. Hypocrisy at work.
Sicko GOP!
Interesting how 2nd Amendment wing nuts always seem to know precisely what our founding fathers would want, but never seem to consult their tarot cards on the likely consequences of their misguided advocacy. What seems all to clear is that beneath their self-righteousness lies a deep sense of false omniscience. Next stop QAnon?
Well, it’s a good thing they can’t drink at 18 (sarcasm)!
Guns have more rights than people. JMcD agrees. His right to have a arsenal, go crazy and either commit treason or mass murder is far more important.
2nd Adm purist are terrible Americans and even worse human beings.
I trust you all recognized my sarcasm
If this awful proposal passes, it is a near certainty that the governor will veto it. That’s not really the point here. It is hard to imagine even far-right Republicans proposing something like this ten to fifteen years ago. We are in a downward spiral, and it’s not clear where the bottom is, if there is one. But wanting to put firearms in the hands of teenagers may be among the more reckless recent ideas. It demonstrates an indifference to life, including the lives of those teenagers who are at a particularly vulnerable stage of development, especially for issues of violence and impulsiveness.
Beyond that, the constant subtext of violence and the willingness of people, especially Trump Republicans, to believe lies, and to see themselves as victims, says that we are at a real danger point in this country. One that could easily come to a head with this year’s elections. Maybe not a good time to have a lot of kids running around with guns. But it all depends on who you think they would be used against, right?