State should raise age restriction

Hunting age restrictions should reflect restrictions on driving. The state of Washington requires that all drivers must be at least 15 in order to obtain a learner’s permit, and 16 to drive alone. Even after obtaining a license, teens have additional restrictions placed on them from how many people they can have in the car to what times of day they are allowed to drive.

One reason there are so many rules regarding teens is that they can make poor decisions due to the fact that their brains are not yet fully mature, and sometimes teens can make poor judgments. Putting a teen behind the wheel of a car before they are fully ready for it puts them and others at risk.

I do not see how this is any different when we are talking about putting a firearm in the hands of a minor, and allowing them to go hunting alone. Yes, hunters, like drivers, must take safety classes. But, hunters are not required to take a skills test, as drivers are. Drivers take a test to get a permit, they are required to take and pass traffic safety classes, take another written test, and a driving skill test before getting a license.

Instituting age restrictions on hunters is not limiting the right to bear arms any more than having age restrictions on driving is limiting the civil liberties of drivers. We all have the right to feel safe. Please restrict the age at which hunters are allowed to hunt on their own.

Kacy Acevedo