We have to learn to drive before we can get a driver license. We must show ourselves credit-worthy before we can buy a house. Why not prove we’re competent enough to handle a deadly weapon before allowing us to, well, carry one?
Because, supporters argue, the Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. OK, I’m good with that. Still, that doesn’t mean gun regulation is outlawed. You have to be a certain age before you can buy a gun. Federal law requires a person be 21 before buying a handgun from a licensed dealer (only 18 years old if they buy the gun from a private seller – go figure).
Even so, there is a line drawn, so we’re not debating whether guns can be regulated, only where the line is drawn regulating them.
Me? I’d like to know that somebody carrying a gun has been vetted and knows how to use said gun before they carry. Just like I’m happy to know that people should be licensed before they drive.
— Joey Kennedy in Let’s all carry guns and reap the consequences
