Nature teaches us that the safety of youngsters is directly related to the quality of the parenting.  If people choose to be crummy parents then the kids suffer.  Children are a serious 18 year project.  That's not a legislator's fault.  It entirely the parents' responsibility. Kids need good parents 24 7.  They don't need unsupervised exploration.  They need two parents who are reliable.  When they are adults they may "explore" when they are adults then responsible for themselves.