There is no doubt that lighters offer a valuable service in our daily lives. They generate flame that could be used to ignite materials like gas stoves, allowing you to have something to eat, burning pieces of wood for bonfires, making you feel warmth, torching candles as an alternative to the power outage at night, and flaming cigarettes to enjoy someone’s vice habit.
Reality slaps that lighter is a life’s necessity; no one would ever dare to live without it. However, it remains controversial whether there should be an age requirement to buy lighters or matches. What’s wrong if a child buys it? Would it make someone underage a criminal? This article highlights vital aspects of buying lighters or matches you should know. I was reading to learn more!
How old do you have to be to buy lighters?
There is no upper age limit for purchasing a lighter. However, suppose you’re under the age of 18. In that case, retailers will almost certainly refuse to sell you a lighter or matches due to their store’s policy unless you have presented parental consent.
Nonetheless, to ensure that sellers have nothing against selling you the item, ensure you’re at least 18, which is the starting point of adolescence. However, due to the large volume of buyers, most shops do not have the time to verify your identity before handling the product.
Furthermore, if you’re a student below 18 years old caught with a lighter in your pocket or purse, school staff and administration might wonder why you had it. It will give you the impression of being a smoker who violates the rules and regulations of maintaining a smoke-free school zone. You may face campus service for several weeks or be billed with a certain amount of penalty. You might also be chastised, mocked, and bullied by your fellow students. Worst, if your parents are summoned to the guidance office, the institution has strictly not tolerated such behavior.
There is a recurring stereotype that children are reckless. Thus, they are formidable when buying fire-inclined goods. However, according to the International Classification of Human Ages, children or kids fall between 0 and 12 years old.
Can kids buy lighters?
Yes, kids can buy lighters. Of course, children ages 0-3 have rare opportunities to buy lighters or matches. Meanwhile, children ages 4 to 12 can purchase lighters since no laws prohibit age restrictions from buying such combustible items. Anyone is allowed to.
However, companies, suppliers, or retailers don’t hold any liabilities when hazardous phenomena occur to the kids. They are not obliged to face the damage to properties and loss of lives when the lighters or matches were the causes of sudden fires at homes or communities. Kids cannot be blamed for this hazard since they aren’t competent enough to understand the dangers of using lighters. They think that it is a toy that is fun to play with. Hence, under this consideration, kids can buy lighters if and only if they have their parent’s approval and have enough background knowledge of the lighters’ sole purpose to avoid large-scale accidents and injuries like burning skin and hair.
Is it legal to sell lighters to minors?
Yes, it is legal to sell lighters to minors. No law bans this practice. There has been no reported incident of children being jailed just because they bought lighters.
Therefore, it is legal to make a transaction to buy and sell lighters regardless of age. Some instances taken by the store’s policy of keeping minors from buying lighters aim to prioritize preventive measures, not because it’s illegal.
Butane
Butane is a member of the paraffin series of hydrocarbons. It is nonpolar, characterized by its high heat of combustion, and contains various dangerous chemicals. It is mainly used as fuel for cigarette lighters and gas stoves and is found in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Given these butane functions, others still wonder if there’s a minimum age quota to buy such a product.
In contrast to the purchase of lighters, which does not have a specified minimum age to buy, the purchase of butane is only permitted for those 18 or older.
How old do you have to be to buy butane?
Buying butane would help if you were at least 18 years old. It is illegal to sell substances to persons under 18 as they may likely inhale or sniff it in the belief that it increases their mood or behavior.
If sellers are caught selling butane-containing cigarette lighter refill canisters to youngsters, they may be charged with a criminal offense. To verify the legitimacy of buyers, sellers should ask for proof of their identities, such as a valid ID, age card, or any other document that indicates their birth or age.
How old do you have to be to buy matches?
Like with the lighters, there is no required age to purchase matches. But, in return, elders must be responsible enough to pay attention to their children if they’re playing with the matchsticks.
It should be placed where kids can’t reach safety standards. In addition, it’s also significant to remember that sellers may refuse to sell matches to people under 18 years old according to the store’s policies.
After leaving Wells Fargo Bank in 2014, Daniel began a career as a finance consultant, advising companies and individuals on economic policy, labor relations, and financial management.
At Promtfinance.com, Daniel writes about personal finance topics, value estimation, budgeting strategies, retirement planning, and portfolio diversification.
Read more on Daniel Smith's biography page.
Contact Daniel: daniel@promtfinance.com