Gun Owners of America reported on this issue in October 2022, when the FBI launched their Enhanced Background Checks for 18–20-year-olds in the state of Maine.

Those under the age of 21 will receive an initial delay that could last about two weeks. This delay is supposedly to allow the FBI to contact local law enforcement and check with state databases to enhance the background check system's effectiveness. This is nothing but a way to make it more difficult for young adults to own firearms. It's a mandatory wait period that anti-gunners have now added to a background check system that is broken well beyond repair.

Parents might not want their children to receive mental healthcare as minors, if it might create an administrative record resulting in the loss or delay of their child's constitutional rights when they turn 18. Those 17 and under who hunt, play shooting sports, or who wish to own firearms for self-defense as adults may choose to avoid essential mental healthcare in order to retain their right to own and operate firearms. If someone under 18 wants to legally buy a hunting shotgun or a target rifle on their 18th birthday, they may use the consequences of the law as an excuse to not get the mental health care they need.