Lest you think all of America\u2019s youth have been corrupted and vitiated by ultra-liberal BS, behold Lydia Gunter, age 17. Taught gun safety along with other important life values by wise parents and grandparents, you see her in this video shooting a slug-loaded 12 gauge semiautomatic shotgun for her first time. She weighs only a slender 125 pounds, but her strong stance allows her to absorb punishing recoil close to that of a heavy .375 Magnum elephant gun in rapid fire. The butt slips from her shoulder once, she instantly recovers, and chews the center out of the target with one-ounce .72 caliber rifled slugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This capable young woman is a good example of why we at the Second Amendment Foundation have fought so hard for the right of young adults to own, purchase, and even carry firearms for defense of themselves and other innocent parties. Within the year, she will turn eighteen. She will be legally able to vote. She will be legally able to join the armed services, where she can expect to find herself in control of far deadlier weapons than shotguns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We feel that if eighteen is old enough to die fighting for one\u2019s country with a government issued real <\/em>assault weapon \u2013 machine guns and up \u2013 it is old enough for young citizens to be able to buy their own AR15 rifles with which to both practice and protect. An eighteen-year-old in America has been old enough to legally drive on American roads for two years, piloting a standard size vehicle which at 50 miles an hour is exerting some half-a-million foot-pounds of body-mangling energy. By contrast, the most famous \u201cmanstopper\u201d load in a .357 Magnum delivers only 583 foot-pounds of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common sense. Safety. American values of power balanced with responsibility, each a reward for a good citizen\u2019s earned trust from society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a joy to watch Lydia shoot that excellent Beretta Ultima shotgun for the first time. She wants one of her own now. With a little more trigger time, she\u2019ll be even more impressive with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n