@larand To be fair, you can enlist in the military at 18 and be sent overseas with a weapon in hand.

But, that's after professional training. Gun training and safety standards for civilians in the US are severely lacking. There's very few federal minimum standards regarding training, safe storage, etc. Even concealed carry is handled on a state by state basis with varying requirements, reciprocity rules, etc. It's a clusterfuck for any gun owner trying to do the right thing, and rife for abuse.