Are you actually advocating that minors be given the same legal rights, responsibilities, and privledges as adults? Do you really want 13 year olds voting? How about 6 year olds? Should my 8 year old sone be able to take my Ruger to class for show and tell? Loaded? How about our constitutional rights preventing unreasonable searches...should schools be prevented from checking the backpacks and lockers of students suspected of having drugs? If they find those drugs, are we going to require that schools establish courts so these students can have their fate decided by a jury of their peers before being expelled, as is an adults constitutional right? Of course, if children are the legal equivalents of adults with all of their rights, then one could also argue that laws restricting their sexual activities are just as "discriminatory" as those that restrict gay sex. The NAMBLA types will love that! So will the military...can you imagine the recruiting opportunities? "Not only will we let you DRIVE a HumVee at 15, we'll let you fire a machine gun too!" Oh, and lets not forget that as our legal equals, the entire "parent-child" relationship becomes akin to that of a slave and master...after all, why should a free and independent American citizen be restricted in his movements and activities by another person when that citizen has committed no crime and is getting no compensation?
Juvenile equality is a nasty can of worms, and there's a very good reason why we DO NOT extend children the same rights that adult citizens enjoy. These restrictions are not some draconian usurpation of our God-given rights, but are a manifestation of our God-given RESPONSIBILITY to raise our children into good adults BEFORE burdening them with the rights and duties of a citizen in our society. Children do NOT have a societal right to ANYTHING that isn't mandated by either specific law or their parents.
NO - just the rights! Oh and I want to keep government with in the confines of their constitutionally limited powers.
There are states that would allow the posession of a rifle by kids of this age. In that case, minors would have the same legal rights, responsibilities and privileges as adults. Without advocating for it.
I didn't advocate any of your knee-jerk scenarios. The parent has the ultimate say over what rights their children have.
Every living American has every single right enumerated to them in the constitution, to be left unchecked by the Federal Government as written in the constitution.
I will not excuse infringement for any reason. If you can't stop your 8 year old from doing what he isn't supposed to that's not my problem.
But in the real world, one day your 8 year old my have to use your Ruger to defend himself, and the second ammendment guarantees that he can.