The Marshall Project

I Was Too Young to Own a Gun

“I take full responsibility for my actions. I killed a man. Still, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if we’d met just a few years later...if I didn’t have a gun.”

Last month’s mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, reignited debate over gun control in the United States with a special focus on the legal minimum age for gun ownership. Many on both sides of the aisle have argued that our laws currently put guns in the hands of young people who lack the emotional maturity to use them responsibly. Having spent the last 22 years in prison for shooting a man to death when I was 20 years old, I’d have to

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project5 min readCrime & Violence
How Do Your Political Views Compare To Those Of People Behind Bars?
Our latest survey of the incarcerated reveals sharp political differences between the incarcerated and the general public, as well as a few areas of consensus.
The Marshall Project8 min readPolitics
No-Show Prison Workers Cost Mississippi Taxpayers Millions
When Darrell Adams showed up for an overnight shift at the Marshall County Correctional Facility in rural Mississippi, he was one of six officers guarding about 1,000 prisoners. Adams said he thought that was normal; only half-a-dozen guards had been
The Marshall Project6 min readCrime & Violence
Think Private Prison Companies Are Going Away Under Biden? They Have Other Plans
CoreCivic and GEO Group have been shifting away from prisons toward other government contracts, like office space and immigration detention.

Related Books & Audiobooks