10 Month Old Baby Receives Gun LicenseFollow

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Now, I won't claim to have any knowledge whatsoever of American gun laws, but am I the only one who thinks that this is ridiculous? If a 10 month old baby can acquire a gun license, what's the point in licensing them at all?

According to the article, the licensing system is to keep them out of the hands of *convicted* felons, or people deemed dangerous by the state (paraphrasing). What about the people who don't fall into those categories until *after* something disastrous has happened, and by which time it's already too late? In my opinion, it's a little difficult for a 10 month old baby to have already established a psychological profile that will fit them for the rest of their life. What happens if that kid has some sort of traumatic incident in the future which *makes* him a threat to society? Rather than waiting until someone has already committed a crime to consider them dangerous, shouldn't there be at least *some* sort of requirements, such as a written psychological test or something?

Sure, not everyone who has a license will eventually own a gun. I'm also aware that not everyone who owns a gun will ever use it, even if it is only to point it at something. This kid could grow up to be the most gentle, kind-hearted person the world has ever known, and could dispose of his gun at the earliest opportunity for all we know now. However, the idea that a child could posess something that dangerous is quite frightening to me.

Children simply don't have the experience, maturity or understanding to be given something that could potentially lead to very serious consequences for either themselves or another. I will go ahead and say that I strongly disagree with the father for even considering filling out that application, but I am more disappointed in the fact that it was actually granted.

So I'm curious, what are everyone else's thoughts on this? Am I overreacting because this is just a licensing issue, and not an actual gun purchase? Or do you think, as I do, that this is a very clear sign that the gun laws in certain states are extremely lacking?






(Edit: apologies if this was the wrong forum to post it in. There were no references to genetalia or 4chan, so I doubted I'd get the kind of serious response I'm looking for in the OOT) >.>

Edited, May 16th 2007 12:56am by Artemismu

He'll be going to preschool soon. Lord knows he's going to need to defend himself when people run up in there schooting after listening to Raffi and playing violent games like Sponge Bob Squarepants and the Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.

Boycott Raffi!

Edited, May 16th 2007 12:27pm by Natdatilgnome

In Soviet Union, Khalashnikhovs own babies

Sock or stumbled into the wrong place for his eleventh post? It's just not often that you see someone with so few posts that isn't a sock in the =4, OOOT Assylum.

Edited, May 16th 2007 6:59pm by Natdatilgnome

Wow. Where I grew up in Florida you need a two day hunter safety course to get one if you were born after 1971 or some such year but you can get the license at any age.