Minnesota Teen’s Arrest Shatters Gun Control Myths

Age limits for gun purchases are very popular with anti-gunners. They love the federal age limits on handguns and they want the same limits on at least some long guns.

They’ll tell you that these age limits keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people who are young enough that their brains haven’t fully developed and can’t be trusted to be rational while owning guns.

Of course, millions of people have owned guns at that age and not committed any crime or done anything irresponsible with them, but why let that deter you, right?

If that won’t, though, what about an illustration of the abject failure of age limits? We’ve got a great one out of Minnesota.

A 17-year-old is facing charges after multiple guns and accessories, including some that turn firearms into machine guns, were found in their bedroom.

On Friday, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for illegal firearms at a home on the 900 block of Burr Street in St. Paul, according to court documents.

Investigators saw the teenager leave the home and get into the passenger seat of a vehicle. They then arrested the teenager, who was wearing a bag that had a Glock 10 mm handgun with an extended magazine, green laser sight and an auto sear switch inside.

The kid had three Draco pistols, one AR-style pistol, two .45 caliber Glocks, two 10mm Glocks, an additional auto sear switch, a pile of ammo, at least one firearm purchase receipt, and a number of magazines. There’s also one of the Glocks that has a verticle foregrip on it, which makes it an Any Other Weapon under the NFA. I suspect that one had the auto sear on it, though, so I doubt that’s the worst this kid is going to deal with.

Now, I find the receipt interesting, because it might lead investigators to a straw buyer.

However, it was found in a zipper case, which may have contained a gun when it was stolen. I bought a used handgun once that came in a briefcase-style safe. Behind the foam was the original receipt, so this might not mean anything at all.

That said, though, the fact that this kid had something like eight handguns despite the federal prohibition on selling handguns to anyone under 21 tells you an awful lot. This isn’t even an 18-year-old who might have modified a lawfully purchased long gun into an AR-pistol or something.

Now, the question is what kind of time is this kid looking at.

He’s got at least one previous charge for threatening violence, and under Minnesota law, that, coupled with these charges, might be enough to get his case transferred to an adult court. If that happens, he’s going to be looking at a long time in Big Boy Prison, where he is unlikely to enjoy his surroundings.

But the damage to the gun control argument is well and truly done, in my book.

If you can’t keep pistols out of kids hands, much less eight of them, then how are you going to stop anyone from getting them?