Why is age 18 the benchmark year to purchase guns, including assault weapons?

According to research conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center, the human brain isn’t fully developed until around age 25. No matter how high the IQ, good judgment remains elusive until then.

The connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing – and not always at the same rate – until about age 25. That’s why teens can’t always explain what they were thinking after strong emotional acts or outbursts. They weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling.

Giving people younger than 25 unbridled access to all varieties of guns goes against science.

Claudette Greene
Portland

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