Yes, I know the words “progressive” and “logic” should never be in the same sentence much less the same headline. However, their confused rationality on what youth can handle at young ages is quite notable, especially given the current debate over gun control legislation.
As you already know, Democrats are trying to pass a slew of anti-gun measures. One of these would raise the age to own firearms from 18 to 21. This would ostensibly cut down on mass shootings since 18-year-olds are not mentally able to handle the responsibility of owning guns and raising the age would prevent them from carrying out assaults similar to what happened in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
However, those on the far left seem to think people under 18 years old should be able to vote. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who supports raising the age to own guns, previously supported the idea that the United States should lower the voting age to 16. In 2021, she tried to add an amendment to the House Democrats’ voting rights proposal that would accomplish this objective.
“A 16-year-old in 2021 possesses a wisdom and a maturity that comes from 2021 challenges, 2021 hardships, and 2021 threats,” the lawmaker said at the time. “Now is the time for us to demonstrate the courage that matches the challenges of the modern-day 16- and 17-year-old.”
In 2020, she tweeted:
A 16-year-old in 2020 possesses the wisdom and maturity that comes from 2020 challenges, hardships and uncertainty.
They deserve a say in our democracy. We must lower the federal voting age to 16.
A 16-year-old in 2020 possesses the wisdom and maturity that comes from 2020 challenges, hardships and uncertainty.
They deserve a say in our democracy. We must lower the federal voting age to 16.https://t.co/OLQjOQdlc3
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) September 15, 2020
During a Facebook live stream after the amendment was voted down, Pressley said she was “shocked” that the notion that the country should allow 16-year-olds to vote was “polarizing.” The far-leftist faction of the party have been trying and failing to pass such a measure since 2019. They consistently fail to get enough Democratic and Republican support for such a foolish proposal.
But what’s even more ludicrous is the idea that progressives contend that 18-year-olds are not mature enough to own firearms, while also claiming young children can make informed decisions about transitioning to another gender. Indeed, I have written several articles describing how educators and counselors in public K-12 schools are actively encouraging minors expressing confusion about their sex to believe they are transgender. School districts have also imposed measures instructing teachers not to inform parents in these scenarios. Teachers are helping kids socially transition without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) recently changed its guidelines to recommend that the age for minors medically and surgically transitioning be lowered. It asserted that hormone treatments should be offered at 14 years old instead of 16 years old, and said that some surgeries should be performed for minors at 15 years old–instead of 17.
WSLS explained that WPATH’s update “is based on expert opinion and a review of scientific evidence on the benefits and harms of transgender medical treatment in teens whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth.”
The updates to the organization’s suggestions include:
—Sex hormones — estrogen or testosterone — starting at age 14. This is often lifelong treatment. Long-term risks may include infertility and weight gain, along with strokes in trans women and high blood pressure in trans men, the guidelines say.
—Breast removal for trans boys at age 15. Previous guidance suggested this could be done at least a year after hormones, around age 17, although a specific minimum age wasn’t listed.
—Most genital surgeries starting at age 17, including womb and testicle removal, a year earlier than previous guidance.
So let’s get this straight. An 18-year-old is not mature enough to own a gun, but 14-year-olds can decide they wish to transition to another gender with the aid of hormone treatments. A 15-year-old girl can make the decision to have her breasts removed. Kids even younger than this have the mental capacity to socially transition.
Yes, I know it’s mind-boggling, but this is precisely what the hard left wants us to accept. As I always say, these people think we’re stupid – and unfortunately, for some, they are not wrong. The notion that small children should decide what gender they are, while 18-year-olds can’t responsibly handle a firearm, is absurd on its face. But being a progressive means never having to make sense.
