In every city in the country, there is probably someone who, as you're reading this, is carrying a firearm illegally. The only exceptions are when it's the middle of the night, because in some smaller cities, there's probably a time when enough of the bad guys are asleep.
But the simple fact that laws don't stop criminals from carrying guns doesn't seem to register with some people.
One of those is an opinion writer from Kentucky.
It seems that while Kentucky Gov. Andy Breshear has vetoed a bill that would allow gun permits for legal adults under 21, columnist Joseph Gerth doesn't just figure that the legislature will override the veto, but it'll be the worstest thing ever to happen in the history of mankind.
Or something.
I’m not sure why I even hope for the legislature to do better, to be better, than they are — as I’ve been so disappointed virtually every time I have done that in the past.
Nonetheless, I’ll hold out hope that the folks in Frankfort will do what is right and let the bill that lowers the age you are allowed to carry a concealed deadly weapon die.
Letting the bill die is much better than letting teenagers die.
But for those who worship shooting irons more than they respect life, I’m not sure that matters. In fact, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.
They’ll likely come back from their 10-day recess and override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the bill that would lower the age for a concealed carry permit from 21 to 18, and they’ll rejoice at making the world a more dangerous place.
Uh...how?
I mean, yeah, they're younger people who will be able to carry a firearm, but the criminals who represent a real issue are already carrying guns, some of whom aren't even old enough to drive yet. I fail to see how allowing those who aren't a problem to carry a gun is making the world a more dangerous place.
Luckily, Joey here is going to tell us.
The argument for the legislation goes something like this — Kentucky allows people to carry concealed deadly weapons, and we shouldn’t stop anyone who is legally allowed to possess a firearm from doing it.
And even though Kentucky’s constitution allows people to walk around with a six-shooter on their hip in plain sight, we as a state have no business telling people they can’t keep their gun hidden so they can surprise their next victim.
They argue that women — no matter their age — shouldn’t be forced to open carry because they say that makes them the TARGET of attacks. And they say that this bill is good because it requires teenagers wishing to carry a gun to get training first.
Pardon me, but that is rot, and government should not be encouraging people to carry guns with them 24-7 so they can whip them out at a moment’s notice to solve problems that only become deadly because of the number of people out there who are afraid of everything that moves.
This is particularly true of 18-year-old, 19-year-old and 20-year-old kids whose brains are only 80% formed. They’re guided more by emotion than actual thought processes.
Ah, the old "their brains aren't fully developed" thing.
Now, according to science, that doesn't happen until people hit 25. Until then, the prefrontal cortex, which impacts decision-making, is underdeveloped. This is the crux of this argument, and it's come up commonly in gun control efforts, including barring long gun sales to adults under 21.
However, they don't really believe what they're saying about brain development, because if they did, why would 21 be the cut-off? There are still four years of brain development ahead of them, so if that's the problem, they should be working to raise the age for everything to 25, right?
They're not.
In fact, some on the left want to reduce the voting age to 16.
At 18, these people can enlist in the military, where they'll be trusted with greater firepower than most of us can lawfully obtain, and if deployed to a war zone, will be required to carry a firearm on their person at all times. I don't recall there being a lot of instances of service members under 21 going nuts and killing people on post. Do you?
And if the issue is decision-making, why is it acceptable for them to open carry, which might make them a target, but not to conceal carry so they can respond to the same threats, but not have to worry about being shot first simply because they're easily identified as a threat?
As for the government "encouraging" people to carry 24/7, we can debate whether they should encourage anything, but the truth is that the Second Amendment is the law of the land, and barring people from exercising it is "rot," not making it so people who have previously been precluded from carrying concealed now can.
The truth is that there's no actual logic apparent in this screed. It's nothing but hysteria, fearmongering, and a determination to see guns as the greatest scourge in our country, all because Gerth is too scared to face a world that hasn't been disarmed according to his own desires.
Never mind that the adults under 21 who are a problem are carrying right now, as you read this, all because they don't care about what's lawful and what isn't.
