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Hello all,
I recently completed a visit with my parents who live in Pennsylvania. They are 70 and 72.
About a year ago, they informed me via phone that they had purchased a few new firearms...a Henry lever-action .22, a Ruger 10-22 and for home defense a Kel-Tec 9mm semiauto pistol. All good weapons and I congratulated them on their choices. Until then, the only weapon in the house had been a century-old .22 Quackenbush singleshot. (Don't laugh, that rifle fed us with many a tasty groundhog and rabbit while I was growing up )
Anyways, during the visit, Mom showed me all of the new purchases. After nearly a year, none of the three weapons had been disassembled or cleaned, much less fired, and when asked, they were unsure of even how to load them. I did a filed strip and loading demonstration of the rifles and pistol. During this, it was discovered that neither parent had the strength to either load the Kel-Tec magazine or consistently cycle the pistol's slide. Again, this was the weapon that they had purchased for home defense. I immediately suggested that they ditch the Kel-Tec and purchase a weapon more suitable to their physical condition. They followed this suggestion, and later that evening we returned with a most suitable Smith 5-shot Airweight .38 revolver.
So, the moral of this story is...if you have an elderly parent or loved one who does not have an extensive background with firearms, don't assume that with the purchase of a defensive firearm that they know what to do with it. Check in on them and see if they have made the correct choice, or if they need some further assistance. Their life may depend on it.
Keith
I recently completed a visit with my parents who live in Pennsylvania. They are 70 and 72.
About a year ago, they informed me via phone that they had purchased a few new firearms...a Henry lever-action .22, a Ruger 10-22 and for home defense a Kel-Tec 9mm semiauto pistol. All good weapons and I congratulated them on their choices. Until then, the only weapon in the house had been a century-old .22 Quackenbush singleshot. (Don't laugh, that rifle fed us with many a tasty groundhog and rabbit while I was growing up )
Anyways, during the visit, Mom showed me all of the new purchases. After nearly a year, none of the three weapons had been disassembled or cleaned, much less fired, and when asked, they were unsure of even how to load them. I did a filed strip and loading demonstration of the rifles and pistol. During this, it was discovered that neither parent had the strength to either load the Kel-Tec magazine or consistently cycle the pistol's slide. Again, this was the weapon that they had purchased for home defense. I immediately suggested that they ditch the Kel-Tec and purchase a weapon more suitable to their physical condition. They followed this suggestion, and later that evening we returned with a most suitable Smith 5-shot Airweight .38 revolver.
So, the moral of this story is...if you have an elderly parent or loved one who does not have an extensive background with firearms, don't assume that with the purchase of a defensive firearm that they know what to do with it. Check in on them and see if they have made the correct choice, or if they need some further assistance. Their life may depend on it.
Keith