How Big Is The Problem of Frail Seniors With Firearms?

[Raygun]

I ran across this 2010 New York Times article on firearms in the hands of frail seniors. Is this as big a problem as the article would have us believe? As a firearm enthusiast, what would you recommend the children of frail senior firearm owners do to keep their aging parents safe.

Guns in Frail Hands newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com
Guns signify independence to many frail seniors, including those with dementia, and often caregivers struggle with decisions about when to remove weapons from the homes of loved ones.

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[jbett98]

When she's not looking, fill it up with blanks.

 

[Coffindodger]

Ignore New York and don't piss off the old folks? I may not be that old but school children on the SAFE handling of firearms. It doesn't take much to keep our most precious safe from those evil guns. Other evils are a different story all together. Guns won't do a thing until someone picks them up.

 

[Swedish K]

We had to take grandma's 38 snub from her - dementia had gotten pretty bad and when she started threatening to off herself or shoot people to get sweets (she's diabetic) I "cleaned it" for her and removed the hammer spur and replaced the rounds with some dummy rounds that I loaded with dead primers and nice hollow points (no powder). A few weeks later grandpa's cancer was acting up and she pulled the gun on my wife demanding that we give him more pain meds even though we had given him some 10 minutes earlier and more would have damaged his liver. That was the breaking point - we took all the guns and locked them up. Grandpa had to deal with her waking him up all hours of the night for a week or so but at least she couldn't hurt herself or anyone else after that.
I do remember a few years back when an old guy was carrying and some punk kid gang bangers pulled up next to him as he was walking, jumped out and robbed him for his wallet and gun at knife point - that is another thing to consider - if you (or they as the case may be) don't have any intention of using the gun to defend yourself please don't carry as we don't need to further arm the gang banger thugs.
In general, if you are of sound mind and will use the gun to defend yourself or others, by all means continue to own and carry a gun.

 

[deen_ad]

I'm 66, I carry my .45 24/7/365 and usually have at least a .44 Spec and 5.56 in the car as well.

 

[Stomper]

You old fart.

 

[Wood Worker]

I am not believing that this is as big of a problem as the newyork times has lead you to believe.