Most high-school students are beginning to decide what their future will hold. They are in the last years of grade school and are about to move on to a more specialized education or job opportunity. However, a lot of adults treat high-school students as though they haven’t done anything valid yet due to their age. Life is made up of experience; therefore, determining people’s maturity by their age can be very deceiving. It discounts their individual experience and life. Many laws are based upon one’s age, but two of the most controversial topics are voting and firearms.

To vote, there is no requirement other than age. This may seem reasonable because it has been in place for 48 years, but it seems to be a little lenient. According to an article written by Issac Mohr on CBS News, stated that roughly 9,000 students are voting for things that they may not understand. This percentage was then taken and transferred to the United States and revealed that if one-third of the country voted (100 million people), then approximately 25 million people are voting blindly. Meaning that they are not knowledgeable about the government and how it functions. This should be a concern to all due to the sole fact that some people are voting without any knowledge about what or who they are actually voting for. To improve this law, there should be a test given out before being able to vote to examine the comprehension of the government and its history. 

The legal age to purchase a rifle or shotgun is 18 years old. However, to purchase a handgun, the age requirement is 21. Although the law concerning the age of gun ownership varies, most of the states require that one be 21 to have their concealed weapon permit. This is a law that should be based upon mental stability regardless of how old a person is, because they could be very incapable of handling a gun.

There are many aspects to take into account when establishing laws and conventional wisdom but age should not be the only factor.