Should 18-year-olds be able to carry guns in public? Some Tennessee lawmakers think so.

In Tennessee, you must be 21 or older to carry a handgun — openly or concealed — but that minimum age could soon drop to 18 under new legislation being taken up at the capitol. Some are warning of potential unintended consequences.

Last year, Tennessee began allowing adults 21 or older to carry a firearm without a license. Now, Rep. Chris Todd, R-Jackson, wants to lower the age.

“Adult citizens of legal age — of 18 — have the right given by God that’s recognized in the Constitution to keep and bear arms. And that right shall not be infringed,” he said Tuesday in a subcommittee discussion.

But Elizabeth Stroecker with the state’s Department of Safety says the law could end up voiding Tennesseans’ right to carry a weapon into other states.

“We could lose reciprocity, where our permit would no longer be accepted or valid in up to 21 other states. And that would be detrimental,” she said. “And it wouldn’t just apply to people who are 18. It would be anyone who has that permit — they would not accept it at all.”

Pushback during public comment came from Kathy Barnett, with gun safety advocacy group Moms Demand Action, who spoke against the bill. She says it’s a bad idea to put deadly weapons into the hands of teens.

“Studies show … the part of the brain that controls judgement and decision-making is the last part of the brain to develop, and it isn’t finished until 25,” she told lawmakers.

The bill is still early in the legislative process. It advanced out of a subcommittee Tuesday by a vote of 8-1 and heads to the Tennessee House’s full Civil Justice Committee.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Elizabeth Stroecker last name as Stroker.