Understanding the Agenda Behind “Gun Purchase Age Restrictions”

Recent activism by Florida State University students has reignited discussions around gun control policies, particularly the push to uphold the minimum age for firearm purchases. While this may initially sound like a common-sense safety measure, it’s essential to unpack the real implications behind the movement and how it affects law-abiding Americans. At Fortress Firearms Training in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, we stand firmly behind responsible gun ownership and the Second Amendment. Our mission is not just to provide firearms training—it’s to support your right to defend your life, your family, and your liberty.

The Problem with Age-Based Gun Restrictions

The push to maintain or raise age restrictions, such as forbidding adults under 21 from purchasing firearms, fundamentally undermines the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. Several FSU students are advocating for maintaining these age limitations, framing it as a proactive step against gun violence. However, let’s not confuse emotion with fact. A 20-year-old can serve our country in the military, cast a vote in federal elections, sign legally binding contracts, and be held criminally responsible. Yet, they would be denied the right to own a firearm for self-defense under these restrictive proposals?

Policies like this are not about safety; they are about control. Anti-gun legislation, masked as “common-sense reform,” often does more to punish responsible citizens than to deter crime.

Politicians Using Tragedy for Political Gain

In the wake of tragedies like the Parkland shooting, we’ve seen a disturbing trend: politicians swiftly push gun-control laws under the guise of public safety, often without fully considering their effectiveness or constitutionality. The young activists from FSU, while likely well-meaning, are being influenced by these top-down agendas crafted by lawmakers and anti-gun organizations like Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety.

Rather than promoting firearms education and training, these groups trade facts for fear. Instead of empowering young adults with knowledge and training on firearm safety and usage—something we offer every day here at Fortress Firearms Training—they choose to strip away rights under the illusion it will stop violence.

Firearms Training Saves Lives

Reducing the instances of gun violence isn’t about controlling who can or can’t own a firearm—it’s about promoting responsible gun ownership. That’s where professional training like ours comes in. Fortress Firearms Training provides comprehensive education on the legal, moral, and technical aspects of firearm usage. We believe training and education—not regulation and restriction—are the keys to gun safety.

Here’s what real gun responsibility looks like at our facility:

• Concealed Carry Permit Training: Legally carry and confidently defend yourself in public.
• Self-Defense Courses: Understand real-world scenarios and how to respond under pressure.
• Live Fire Practice: Build safe and accurate shooting skills in a professional environment.
• Legal Know-How: Learn your rights and how to navigate potentially life-altering encounters.

At Fortress Firearms Training, we give our students tools—not just triggers. While others clamor for bans and restrictions, we’re committed to building a community of informed, responsible gun owners who understand both the power and the responsibility of carrying a firearm.

Are Age Restrictions Really Working?

Proponents claim that setting the legal firearm purchasing age to 21 will prevent mass shootings or reduce crime statistics. But where’s the data? The tragic event at Parkland was more about systematic failure at multiple levels—from law enforcement ignoring red flags to school security breakdowns—than about the legality of the shooter’s weapon purchase. Laws didn’t fail that day; people in power did.

More often than not, mass shooters obtain their weapons illegally or already bypass existing laws. Restricting lawful citizens, especially those who are legal adults, only broadens the gap between rights and accessibility. It doesn’t prevent crime; it prevents innocent people from defending themselves.

The Slippery Slope Toward More Restriction

Efforts like those by the FSU students champion what might appear to be a single, isolated reform. But history tells us these laws rarely remain alone. They’re stepping stones toward broader disarmament. Today it’s age limits—tomorrow, it’s capacity limits, mandatory waiting periods, new registration requirements, and ultimately, confiscation. When you give the anti-gun lobby an inch, they take a mile.

We saw it in states like California and New York, where incremental restrictions have led to severely limited gun rights. South Carolina must stand firm and protect its heritage of personal freedom, not cave to out-of-state pressure funded by national organizations with anti-2A agendas.

Choose Education Over Legislation

If our youth are genuinely concerned about violence, we should be directing them to education and engagement, not emotion-based legislation. Imagine a world where every high school graduate understood how to safely handle and store a firearm. That’s the kind of future we at Fortress Firearms Training aim to build.

Let’s teach responsibility, not reliance on government. Allow young adults the dignity of full citizenship—including the ability to protect themselves—and help them become skillful, informed gun owners.

Join the Fight for Freedom

Now more than ever, it’s critical for conscientious Americans to get involved. Fortress Firearms Training is more than a gun range—it’s a home for Second Amendment defenders, liberty lovers, and anyone dedicated to safe, responsible gun ownership. Through education, we empower. Through training, we prepare. Through unity, we preserve our rights.

Don’t sit on the sidelines while others push to limit your freedoms. Visit our website today and take your first step toward becoming an informed and responsible gun owner. Because while politicians and activists debate age restrictions, we’re training the next generation of free Americans—regardless of how old they are.