Western State Lowers Carry Age, With a Caveat

Beginning July 1, Wyoming adults under the age of 21 will be able to exercise their right to carry, though they’ll still need a state-issued permission slip to do so. 

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed a bill into law that lowers the age to obtain a concealed carry license from 21 to 18, while keeping the state’s permitless carry law available only to adults 21 and older. 

As you might imagine, the handful of gun control activists who live in Wyoming aren’t too thrilled about the development. 

Gun safety advocate Beth Howard told Cowboy State Daily that she thinks Wyoming made a mistake when the Legislature passed House Bill 96, and Gov. Mark Gordon signed it into law on March 7. 

… “My thoughts are, generally, that it’s a tragedy,” she said.

She noted there have been recent murders in Cheyenne involving alleged shooters under age 21, and she worries that allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to carry firearms will just make matters worse.

So, people who were already carrying in violation of state law committed violent crimes, and now Howard is concerned and convinced that young adults who are following the law are going to turn into killers? I don’t follow her argument. 

Kaelyn Post, 18, of Riverton, told Cowboy State Daily that she plans to take advantage of the lowering of the age requirement and apply for a permit to carry a concealed handgun. 

“I think it’s a great thing that they’re doing this. But I think it should also have a training class to go along with it, just to make sure that people know how to use guns and use them properly,” Post said.

Her father taught her gun safety and marksmanship from a young age, she said.

Well, in that case Post should be pleased that you do generally have to provide some proof of training in order to apply for a carry permit in Wyoming. 

I don’t think that training should be mandated by the state, but I also think it’s idiotic for someone who has no real experience with firearms to pick up a pistol and start carrying it. That applies to every age group out there, not just adults younger than 21. In today’s environment, you never know when you might need to act in self-defense, but if you’re not proficient with your pistol you’re not only putting yourself at risk, but others around you as well. 

Incidentally, Wyoming’s law may come with benefits for young adults outside the state too. The Supreme Court is currently sitting on almost a half-dozen cases dealing under-21s and their 2A rights, including NRA’s challenge to Florida’s ban on gun sales to 18-to-20-year olds and state-level bans on concealed carry, like the one that will soon disappear in Wyoming. While the Court is supposed to be more concerned with the historical tradition of the right to keep and bear arms regulations surrounding the right, I don’t think it hurts the plaintiffs in these cases to see another state recognize that adults, even young ones, should be fully vested of their individual rights. 

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