I'm seriously embarrassed at the behavior of some people in this thread.
Gun ownership isn't some magical privilege that the guy on the Internet who knows the most rules and can preach the longest gets to have, it's an inalienable right. The kid should get a nice firearm and learn to use it. Ignore all the Pontiff's of the Art on here, unless they somehow decide to leave and proselytize elsewhere.
OP, talk with your parents about purchasing a firearm as a "gift". All of these idiotic damned laws are completely illegal, it's an inalienable right for you to own a firearm, despite what the "Patriot Light" types on here say. Follow whatever idiotic, un-Constitutional and illegal laws exists in your state and pick up a nice semi-automatic battle rifle. You're a big boy so you'll be able to handle it well. Learn the four rules of gun safety before ya ever touch the trigger and you'll be doing yourself a big favor. And remember, with awesome power comes awesome responsibility. Letting one of your immature friends talk you into taking the firearm out and doing something infantile with it could end you up in jail, in the wood shed with your father and the board of education, crying over a friends dead body or dead yourself. Owning a large caliber firearm is part of being a man. Don't let the "specific individuals" on here talk you out of it. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like something other than unwarranted attacks on your integrity.
Those that are attacking his integrity should, in my humble opinion, hop on over to 4chan or something where it'd much more appropriate. A growing boy is turning into a man and deserves to be treated as such. If it comes out that he's a liar, thats on him, but to call him that with no proof is about as ignoble and trashy as I can imagine. It's actions like that that makes me wish dueling were still legal, those that like to bandy about insults and harassment would quickly find out that words have consequences.
Moderators, do you feel that insulting the integrity of a young man coming to age and wanting to help his family is "high road" etiquette? I got a warning for stating "in before the lock" on a thread, that seems to pale in comparison to questioning the integrity of a young man.
I sure wish I'd been alive about a hundred years ago, I think I'd have fit in much better.
Regards,