Will giving 18-year-olds the right to open carry handguns make us feel safer? | Opinion

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law Thursday a measure that has made a lot of people I have spoken with across the aisles of partisan politics scratch their heads. Liberals and conservatives have spoken with a sense of bewilderment that our state should enable 18-year-olds to carry guns in open.

The new law allows adults and teens to openly carry weapons in most public places. It is one thing to support the 2nd Amendment which allows citizens the right to bear arms. It is quite another to expand the idea of this right to the point of unfettered access to guns for our nation’s youth.

I remember when our society was debating whether to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18. People used to say, ‘Well, if young people at 18 years old can carry a gun, fight and die for their country, then they surely should be able to vote in our elections.’ The public embraced this idea because they could see that young people were dying by the thousands in Vietnam, and the time was right for this legislation. It was the passage and ratification of the 26th Amendment on July 1, 1971, that established the right of young people to vote in state and federal elections.

That legislation was a meaningful and just decision to the benefit of our nation and expanded our young people’s participation in the democratic process. Yet how does the idea of reducing the age of gun-toting teens benefit our society? How does the eruption of a gunfight between teens who legally own guns make our streets safer?

In America, owning a weapon is as much a right as voting in an election. Does this newly expanded open carry teach Americans to respect life? First we learned about the idea of road rage where people injure or kill people when they loose their temper while driving. Now, are we fashioning a new rage on the streets of our nation? One might have thought that the number of innocent lives lost, especially from gun violence, would be a warning sign that legislation to prevent this kind of violence was an absolute necessity.

The decision to purchase a gun for a youth should be given a great deal of thought and careful consideration. The issue is not just about having the right to do so. It is a decision at these ages which require parental involvement and guidance. Gun education, including classes and workshops on how to care for a gun and how to discharge a weapon properly and safely, are essential.

I fully acknowledge that there are plenty of our nation’s youth who do learn how to use their weapons in a responsible manner. They use their guns for target shooting, hunting and for personal protection. Their parents should be responsible for their gun education. Are there too many examples when parents do not do a good job at supervision of their teenage children? Will the open carry law contribute to an even greater era of violence? Will it increase the burden of policing our communities? Will thousands of young people legally able to purchase weapons and walk the streets with guns openly displayed make us feel safer or increase the danger to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Choosing to own a gun and learning how to use it should be an adult decision. Will politicians take responsibility for their decision to vote for and sign off on open carry if it leads to increased violence and the loss of life?