Imagine a kid who just turned eighteen, still in high school, having a bad fight with someone and able to throw a handgun in his backpack. That feels way scarier than a rifle. I think the current age split makes sense, because a handgun is easy to carry and use on impulse.

Did you know handguns are used in most gun crimes, way more than rifles? That statistic makes me think they should stay harder to get, not easier. You make a fair point about brain development, but I still feel nervous about making handguns available at eighteen.

But doesn't the fact that handguns are behind most everyday crimes matter more than the rare school shooting? You make a fair point about rifles in schools, but I still feel like an angry eighteen year old with a pocket gun is scarier than with a rifle.

Picture a driver who gets cut off in traffic and grabs a handgun from the glovebox. That doesn't happen with a rifle in the trunk. You say 18 is too young for any gun, and I agree, so why lower handguns? I'd rather raise both ages instead of swapping.

Surprisingly, handguns seem to show up in everyday violence way more than rifles ever do. You made a fair point that both should be 21, and honestly I agree. But swapping them still feels off. I'd rather raise rifle age than ever lower handgun age.