Ferguson: too much or not enough?

[Jackalope]

Without comment on the rest (I'm still trying to determine what likely happened), the bolded part is incorrect. You have to be 21 to lawfully purchase a handgun anywhere in the U.S.

That's what I thought initially, I had even typed it in my first draft, but surprisingly it isn't true. It is a federal law that you have to be at least 21 to be a licensed dealer of guns, but in most states you only have to be 18 to purchase a handgun.

Minimum Ages for Firearms
State Purchase of a Handgun Purchase of a Long Gun
..
Missouri 18 18
..

http://smartgunlaws.org/minimum-age-to-p...y-summary/

From a private party, perhaps. Under federal law, which applies to all purchases from licensees, it's uniformly 21. Not that it matters - it may not have been his gun, and there's no law prohibiting handling one by an adult.