Armed and Aging: As Older Americans Own the Most Guns, Should They Face More Gun Controls?

[Member 3687]

So any over fifty on this forum, well you might want to read this cuz you might not be healthy enough to own guns…. Just saying. Can anyone say; Age discrimination.

So to the old farts out their what are your thoughts.

Armed and Aging: As Older Americans Own the Most Guns, Should They Face More Gun Controls?

Suicide, dementia and physical failings are at issue.

"Should Rights Outweigh Risks?

Still, some aren't as comfortable with the idea of so many older adults owning guns, considering certain risk factors that can accompany aging, such as increasing dementia with aging or the high suicide rate among older males (see sidebar)."

"So much of the dialogue around guns in this country has been around crime, and lately, mass shootings. And the older population is not part of that. But when you look at the suicide issue, it's impossible to ignore older Americans," Frattaroli said. "With that in mind, any conversation about guns has to include a conversation [about] gun ownership among older adults. There's definitely more to be done on that issue in the United States."

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liber...-most-guns-should-they-face-more-gun-controls

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[Dungannon]

They never give up do they? Always looking for an angle, no matter how pathetic.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Well, you know that simply liking and enjoying firearms makes us sick little puppies to those folks! Obviously, to them, being older just makes us worse. I'm a real menace, I'm older, a veteran and I've never needed help from the guberment! This past weekend, I petted a kitty and donated to a books for children charity! Bad dude here, people!

 

[SA Shooter]

Yeah, us "older" gun owners are so dang irresponsible, ain't we...

 

[The Heretic]

 

[DieselScout]

Just the other day there was that horrible tragedy where the senior center got all shot up at the 3pm dinner serving. It was walkers and canes everywhere. Reginald always seemed a little off, but no one could have seen this coming. A few residents did note they had seens him greasing up the wheels of his walker, who tennis balls are now stained in blood. In other news, cute puppies or vicious killers, we'll show you useless one sided data we pulled out of our bums and let you "decide".

 

[TM-Salem]

I turn 51 within the month, Let them try to take mine...

 

[Joe13]

That's family business not anyone else's...

 

[BlackRyder]

It irks me how these people include suicide in their "gun violence" statistics. It seems to me that if you were truly worried about suicide-prone elderly men owning guns, you would also be concerned about old people who owned knives, drano, and belts. Or be an advocate for mental health screenings for anyone who wants to buy a house within walking distance of a bridge.
It's true- they are always looking to work any possible angle they can...

 

[Stomper]

My dad is almost 70, is riddled with diabetes, constantly in pain, has around TWENTY prescriptions he's on, makes knee-jerk decisions. Almost two years ago he lost his nut and came at me with a claw hammer yelling "shoot me, go on SHOOT ME!"... called the cops and had him evaluated, got permission from mom (to make it legal) and took every gun out of their house, and they've been sitting in my gun safe ever since.

Two weeks ago he asked for them back, and I (respectfully) said, "we BOTH know you aren't in a "good place" and I'm afraid you'll end yourself, or mom (she's just as bad), and unless a uniformed LEO with a court order knocks on my door that ain't happening.

That ended that conversation. He DID understand and (ironically) agreed with me.

 

[JTech]

My dad is almost 70, is riddled with diabetes, constantly in pain, has around TWENTY prescriptions he's on, makes knee-jerk decisions. Almost two years ago he lost his nut and came at me with a claw hammer yelling "shoot me, go on SHOOT ME!"... called the cops and had him evaluated, got permission from mom (to make it legal) and took every gun out of their house, and they've been sitting in my gun safe ever since.

Two weeks ago he asked for them back, and I (respectfully) said, "we BOTH know you aren't in a "good place" and I'm afraid you'll end yourself, or mom (she's just as bad), and unless a uniformed LEO with a court order knocks on my door that ain't happening.

That ended that conversation. He DID understand and (ironically) agreed with me.

My wife and I went through a similar situation with her father a few years back. After ankle and heel surgery the pain was more than he could handle. I also believe the cocktail of drugs they had him on pushed him, along with the pain, to the edge/point where he verbalized hourly that if he could crawl to his safe he would end his own life. While I think that is up to each person as to when and why they would do that, my mother-in-law decided to put a chain around the door with a padlock to keep him out because they did not know the combo. He is still alive today and in a better place, but I wonder if they will find him some day out in his shop with a bullet in his temple.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I turn 51 within the month, Let them try to take mine...

51? FIFTY ONE? Sir, I have butt pimples older than that!

 

[CamoDeafie]

My own father is 75. He still rides with the Police every once in a while as a volunteer.... and he's a volunteer chaplain at a hospital. Still plays tennis one or twice a week, still exercising, still in dang good shape. His own father died at 76 when I was not even 10 years old, and I had always thought he was in his 80s-90s when he died.... Dad also still go and shoot trap when we can. Just celebrated his 40th anniversary with his second wife (first wife left him during Vietnam with his toddler son, no contest, no nothing just her telling the judge he wasn't fit to stay married to her... that drove him to quit Catholicism)
He raised me and my brother right. We may not agree on some things, but we have also talked about him and his guns around the house... So far, he's still of sound mind, and far more able-bodied than his own parents were..

The way he saw it, a gun is a true equalizer...it does not demand that the person be most able-bodied, nor does it demand that it be a feat of sheer physical prowess, nor a feat of numbers, but simply a feat of skills and mental acuity. A gun allows an elderly woman to fend off a strong attacker. It also allows a petite woman to not worry about a 200+ pound man hurting her. It allows a man to protect his own if needed, and also to provide meat on the table when needed.
Alternatively, it allows a slow, fat man to fight off an attacker (not so sure of numbers, unless that person also has skills in utilizing suppressive fire..).

Perhaps the very fact that a gun enables a person to self-police, and not depend on government agents to protect them, is truly terrifying for the anti-gunners/ victim-exploiters to think of, because it means a person does not depend on them

 

[albin25]

Suicidal thoughts are NOT just for the "old"...
...If it where they'd need to not only disarm but dis-car, dis-knife, dis-rope, dis-pill, dis-bridge, dis-tracks, dis-belt, etc...

Odd, isn't it? How those that are saying "too old, no guns" 'cuz they're sooo worried about suicide of the old, are also very happy to allow euthanasia for even quality of life reasons and kill healthy babies simply for being "inconvenient".

And, if "danger to others" is a concern...
...it's NOT old they need to be concerned with.

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

Im sorry but the older generation are the ones that were educated
in the 80's, they began indoctrination and stopped educating

I will trust the good old boys judgement thank you very much

 

[BlackRyder]

Odd, isn't it? How those that are saying "too old, no guns" 'cuz they're sooo worried about suicide of the old, are also very happy to allow euthanasia for even quality of life reasons.....

I was thinking this exact same point! While I do support someone's right to die on their own terms, I can't stand hypocrisy and call bullsh!t on the suicide prevention rationale.

 

[P7M13]

Suicidal thoughts are NOT just for the old.

+1

51? FIFTY ONE? Sir, I have butt pimples older than that!

You mean hemorrhoids, right?

Any question about age and guns must also be accompanied with serious debate about elderly & veteran health care, mental and living assistance. They'll tell you, "we have excellent programs in place."
While each of those issues are heated debates for many, here in our society we remove death from every day life. If it were, we could say that people's choice to commit suicide would be more informed.
I'm not one to stop a person from committing suicide. Something about me and being a vocal gun owner, I must wear an invisible sign saying, "I loan out guns to suicidal people." Two friends have asked to borrow my pistol so they could kill themselves. For the first one, I asked if he were absolutely sure. Yes. So I went to my safe, cleared it, put two snap-caps into the magazine, walked back, racked the slide and handed him the gun. If he put it to his head, I would have called 911. He didn't. An expression of relief came over him and he said, "i wanted to see if you were a good friend," and handed back the pistol. His statement pissed me off. I took it, pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. Abject fear would be an understatement. I immediately cleared both snap-caps, pointed to them on the table and said, "it wouldn't have fired. You weren't ready to die." Then we talked. He was deeply ashamed of his children. I must say, that was a friggin' twisted way to get to the core issue.
For the second, cancer recently returned. I said no, there were better ways when the time came.
I'm a dick. Years ago I might have been compassionate, but I don't have much patience left for such drama.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I'm sorry, but asking someone loan them a gun so they could suicide is worse than idiotic! "Oh, sure old friend!""Then my family and I can have our lives ruined by the litigation that follows!"
I would have a really difficult time not throwing them, physically, from my house!

 

[nammac]

It's just another angle to attempt to further the agenda of firearms control and the disarming of Amerika...

They're chipping away at it, one little chip at a time, to eventually realize their final goal of a disarmed and complacent populace...

The baby boomers are aging and starting to die off... Once this generation is gone, so will the Republic...

 

[UserNameInUse]

Hmm, I keep thinking it would be really funny to see Bill and Hillary trying to make this argument. Shouldn't own guns, but ok to be the POTUS.