And it seems to have take a
slight divergence from "Mandatory Training..." toward age, maturity, and (
somehow) the rights of convicted felons. Maturity does not neccessarily come with age, although for most people it does appear to... at some point and in varying degrees. "Maturity" is defined by Merriam-Webster as "the quality or state of being mature; especially: full development". The term "full development" may be a bit ambiguous for some folks here because it is somewhat all encompassing - a "big picture" kind of thing. Full development is not dependent upon age, but age is a part of the equation. As for 12 year olds OC'ing, here's a tidbit fresh off the presses:
"LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas authorities were investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl as a homicide after her younger brother confessed to fatally shooting her this weekend, a local sheriff said Monday."
The sheriff went on to say that it did not appear to be an accidental shooting, but that her 15 year old brother gave no motive for the shooting. How little provocation does it take for one sibling to take the life of his/her brother or sister? One characteristic of maturity is acting responsibly, and another is the ability to control one's emotions. Should this 15 year old have had unsupervised access to a firearm?
Apparently not. Are there 15 year olds who are "fully developed" enough to have unsupervised access to a firearm? I'm sure there are. But,
who makes that determination, and
who pays the consequences -
besides the victim(s) - if that decision is wrong? Does anybody remember
Columbine? Children are not expected to always make good decisions. Poor judgment is an inherent part of being a child! It's part of the process of growing up, and hopefully, of eventually becoming "fully developed".
It has also been suggested here that convicted felons should be allowed to OC. I don't believe that anyone who has been convicted of an "aggravated crime of violence" should be allowed to even
own a firearm, much less OC or CC!
By their actions they have proven that they are volatile, untrustworthy and a potential danger to others. While we're at it, let's just ignore public safety and the responsibilities of living in a society, and allow the mentally ill/mentally challenged and mentally insufficient to carry firearms too! Society's rules are just too pesky and inconvenient...
total anarchy should cure that. And yes,
sarcasm is just one of a number of services I freely offer...