Law Should Adulthood (The Rights To Vote, Smoke, Drink, Marry, Enlist, Bear Arms) Be 18 or 21?

[Arkain2K]

Poll: Overwhelming majority backs age limit of 21 years to buy AR-15-style rifle
BY OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN - 06/09/22

Three-quarters of adult Americans support the idea that the minimum age for an individual to purchase an AR-15-style rifle should be 21 years old, according to a new Survey Monkey poll.

The poll, published on Thursday, found that 75 percent of adult respondents agree that the minimum age to buy an AR-15-style rifle should be 21, while 65 percent of teenage respondents agree with the same sentiment.

Fifteen percent of adult respondents said they oppose the motion to raise the age limit on individuals purchasing AR-15-style weapons.

Thirty-four percent of teenage respondents said they worry a lot about being a victim of a mass shooting, while 24 percent of those surveyed said they don’t worry about being a victim, according to the poll.

When asked the same question, 22 percent of adult respondents said in the poll that they worry a lot about being a mass shooting victim, while 36 percent of respondents said they don’t worry about being a victim.

Forty-seven percent of respondents who identify as Asian American said they worry bout being victims of a mass shooting, followed by 39 percent of Black respondents and 36 percent of Hispanic respondents who said the same, according to the poll.

The poll comes as the U.S. has seen a recent string of mass shootings in the past few weeks, with incidents happening in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Tulsa, Okla.

The House on Wednesday passed a sweeping gun violence prevention package, the Protecting Our Kids Act, in a 223-204 vote.

A bipartisan group of senators is working on creating gun reform legislation in response to the recent string of mass shootings.

Fifty-nine percent of teenage respondents said that they have participated in an active shooter drill, which is up 8 percentage points from 2018.

The latest Survey Monkey poll was conducted from May 25 to June 2 and had a total of 22,252 respondents.

https://thehill.com/news/state-watc...it-of-21-years-to-buy-ar-15-style-rifle-poll/

 

[Arkain2K]

Op/Ed: Is NJ trying to change the legal age of adulthood to 21?

For all the talk of bunches of joy and the blessings children are it sure seems plenty of folks don’t want them nearby. Remember when Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls changed their policy earlier this year and banned kids under 10?

Of course, that’s a private business. As is Bally’s Atlantic City hotel and casino which just banned any guests under 21 from using their pool or fitness facilities.

“Due to customer demand, Bally’s Pool & Fitness will be available to ADULTS ONLY (21+),” the casino reported on Instagram.

They say they had complaints. I believe them. It’s a business looking to follow best practices for its bottom line.

But what about when it’s a local government or a state law? How about Seaside Heights banning anyone under 21 from renting rooms during prom season? That’s not businesses doing it. In fact plenty of businesses are complaining about it.

Or the long-standing state law on gambling that applies to Bally’s when they walk downstairs and into the casino. You must be 21 to gamble.

You’re legally an adult at 18. You can join the military and defend our nation with your life. That gamble the government is fine with. You can marry at 18. You can vote at 18. Be criminally charged as an adult at 18. So you’re an adult at 18 then, right?

Well hold on. You can marry and vote and die for your country at 18, but you can’t purchase cigarettes until you’re 21 in New Jersey. Same for alcohol. Same for vape products.

So what’s the standard here? When exactly are you an adult with both the rights but also the responsibilities that come with it? It feels more and more that society is deciding 18 is no longer really it. When we passed legalization of recreational marijuana, we decided that adulthood begins at 21.

Science plays a part in this. Research now shows a young person’s brain isn’t fully mature until age 25. Science shows adults make decisions using the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which uses good judgment and an understanding of long-term consequences. Younger people use the amygdala, the portion of the brain that responds with emotion.

So now what? Are the only true adults 25 or older? Are the rental car companies the only ones who’ve had it right all along in not renting to anyone under 26?

We should return to the standard that once was. 18 is adulthood. If that strikes you as irresponsible due to concerns of alcohol look up the Amethyst Initiative. And if you’re an older person looking at 19 and 20-year-olds as too immature these days, whose bubble wrapping and coddling do you think made them that way?

Is NJ trying to change the legal age of adulthood to 21? (Opinion)

When exactly are you an adult with both the rights but also the responsibilities that come with it?

nj1015.com

 

[Arkain2K]

Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Lowering State's Legal Drinking Age to 18 ​

By James Neveau​

A northern Illinois lawmaker has proposed legislation that would lower the state’s minimum drinking age

The bill, proposed by Freeport Rep. John Cabello, was introduced on Friday in the state legislature.

HB 4021 would lower the state’s legal drinking age to 18 by amending the Liquor Control Act of 1934, which set the drinking age at 21 following the end of Prohibition.

The legislation would also amend other bills that list the state’s legal drinking age.

The battle over having a nationally-recognized standard age to allow the purchase, production and possession of alcohol was a hot-button topic in the 1980’s, with some states lowering the legal drinking age to 18 in response to a Constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age to 18.

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed in 1984, mandated that state’s raise their minimum age for alcohol consumption to 21, with the Ronald Reagan-backed legislation codifying language that would revoke federal highway funding from states that did not comply, according to Vox and other media outlets.

Lawsuits were filed, with the Supreme Court ultimately siding with the Reagan administration’s policies in the South Dakota v. Dole decision.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that having the minimum drinking age set at 21 has led to fewer vehicle crashes, has reduced underage drinking and has helped young Americans to avoid adverse outcomes, such as drug dependence, adverse health outcomes and suicide.

Some advocates have expressed support for lowering the drinking age to 18, with an Indiana University study arguing that doing so would “allow (young adults) to drink in controlled environments,” and could reduce irresponsible behaviors caused by illegal and secretive drinking.

There is no word on whether the bill will be taken up by committee.

Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Lowering State's Legal Drinking Age

A northern Illinois lawmaker has proposed legislation that would lower the state’s minimum drinking age to 18.

www.nbcchicago.com