Minors under my supervision....

[paxfish]

UnderSB281,

Last night's discussion on "components of a gun" being possesed by persons who are not qualified got me thinking about how it affects minors.

Can my 15 year old son still shoot in pistol competition under my supervision?

Can I still drop him off at his tree stand in hunting season with his shotgun and shells?

Can he still use his Barnes copper slugs?

 

[Biggfoot44]

1. Yes
2. If he has his Hunter Safety certification , minors are then exempted from most of the minor / firearm access rules.
3. No different for him than for anybody else . This is still in the air generally as we speak. The Good Guys have put forth an amendment to fix this , but it is still in play as to what if anything is in place at 0001 hrs 4/09/13 .

 

[Clovis]

I've been thinking about how this will affect the next generation for some time. I left yesterday evening before they got to this I guess, but I think (I've been wrong before...) there are provisions for you to supervise your 15 year old shooting a pistol.

As I understand the bill it will not allow your son to hunt unless you are with him until he reaches the age he can legally aquire a regulated firearm (21). That would be the age he can legally possess ammunition. Other wise, he is in violation and will be subject to prosecution. Again this is how I read it and I can be wrong.

As I read the bill the boy must be supervised to be in possession of ammunition and the copper solid should be ok, but unsupervised and in possession of ammo is in this bill a crime and makes the copper solid another violation.

I don't think any of this applies to muzzleloaders or bows, but again I can be and am wrong sometimes, so tread carefully here and be sure you are right before you do anything that could cause you and your family future problems.

 

[paxfish]

That's what I thought Clovis. Last night, the delegate was leading the vice chair down that road, but didn't bring up the MINOR issues.

MSI and Delegates/Senators - This is a BIG Deal (not to diminish the other issues, but this one can extend our reach)

 

[DanGuy48]

What about being in possession of ammunition? How does that work with minors shooting on teams?

 

[ddeanjohnson]

UnderSB281, Last night's discussion on "components of a gun" being possesed by persons who are not qualified got me thinking about how it affects minors. Can my 15 year old son still shoot in pistol competition under my supervision?

My analysis of these questions is found here, in paragraph no. 7. Short version: The bill says that no "person" may "receive" a handgun without first obtaining the handgun qualification license. "Receive" is not defined in the bill or, as far as I can tell, in the pertinent sections of current law. There is no exception for temporary use at a gun club or a range -- for example, if you wanted to take a spouse or guest from out of state to the range to try out a handgun for the first time. This problem has been pointed out for months, but they have not fixed it.

The issue gets a little more complicated for minors, because there is already an exception in the code for temporary "possession" of a handgun by a minor, under certain circumstances. But that is an exception to the old law on possession of "regulated" firearms, not to the new requirement for a handgun qualification license. The handgun qualification license section of the bill says that a person cannot even apply for the license until age 21. (The bill approved in committee would have allowed by a person age 18-21 if a member of the U.S. armed forces, National Guard, or Maryland Defense Force, but on April 3 on the House floor, the sponsors offered an amendment that removed that provision.)

I would like to be persuaded that the bill would allow temporary use of handguns by minors under supervision, or temporary use by gun club guests or people who want to try out handguns at rent-a-gun ranges. I have invited lawyers to read the bill and explain how either activity would be legal in light of the handgun qualification license requirement. So far, I have seen no plausible argument explaining how either activity would be legal.