CA High Schoolers Attempt Pointless Gun Legislation

Alhambra High School students have taken it upon themselves to write their very own gun control legislation for the city. Unsurprisingly, their bill is unconstitutional, unnecessary, and demonstrates just how uninformed they are about the 2^nd Amendment and California gun laws.

The core provisions of the bill aim to make the following changes to current law. The students want to raise the age to purchase firearms from eighteen to twenty-five, require shooting and safety training for gun owners, stop online firearms sales, and close the “gun show loophole” for gun purchases.

Now let’s dissect these misguided aims.

Raising the age to purchase a firearm is just unconstitutional, plain and simple. The 2^nd Amendment guarantees all law-abiding adults the right to keep and bear arms; restricting access to a constitutional right based on age is just unacceptable. Raising the age to twenty-five will only serve to disarm the most deserving and vulnerable members of our society. Both active members of the military, and young single parents, will be left defenseless in their homes.

Requiring shooting and safety training for gun owners is just another example of the overreaching hand of government. Gun owners are among the most law-abiding people in the country and the vast majority consistently train to use their firearms in a safe and responsible manner.

It is laughable to legislate the sale of firearms online in a city council bill. The online sale of firearms is already prohibited in California. All firearms purchased in the state MUST BE transferred through a licensed firearms dealer (FFL) where the purchaser undergoes a background check and a mandatory ten day waiting period.

Which brings us to the supposed “gun show loophole”. Once again, all firearms purchased in the state of California must be transferred through an FFL and are subject to a background check and waiting period.

Including these provisions in this city council bill only highlights how misguided and uninformed these children are. Had they done half an hour of light google-ing, they would have come to the realization that what they are proposing already exists or is grossly unconstitutional. The mere thought that this comes from an Advanced Placement Government class is deeply unsettling; these students are supposed to be the best and brightest, this proves otherwise.

They should have done their homework.