A FGAQ Public Service Piece: Gun Safety For Seniors
Lisa Marie laughs, knowing that old Chester
would never intentionally kill her.
With Florida's recent passage of the 'Stand
Your Ground' law (derisively called the Kill Bill law by some liberals),
FGAQ worries about the weakest among us, the Florida senior citizens. We
worry about the pensioner who is forced to chose between buying food or
bullets, not to mention the expensive prescription medication needed to
steady their hand.
"Finally, sadly, we must consider situations where gun ownership may no
longer be appropriate," cautions
The Armed Citizen.
"For those of us lucky enough to live to a ripe old age, there will
inevitably come a time when our capacities to responsibly handle firearms
has passed. When that time is must be something determined by you in advance
in order to avoid a situation when someone else wants to (or has to)
determine it for you."
And when that time comes, tell 'em that
they're going to have to pry that pistol out of your cold, dead fingers. And
then blast the varmints. That nagging daughter in law and those skittish
grandchildren - screw 'em. Who the hell has got the gumption to be telling you
that you can't still handle a gun?
Caregiver's
Home Companion tells us that the 62+ age group has the highest
percentage of gun ownership, and with 150,000 seniors already having concealed
weapon permits in Florida, you better be on your best behavior when you head
to the early bird buffet down at Denny's.
Armed seniors "are no more of a safety risk than anyone else," says John
Bender, executive director of the Texas-based
Seniors United Supporting the
Second Amendment. Instead, he says that guns "make everyone equal" by
compensating for physical disabilities seniors may have.
Well, there. Who
amongst ye would oppose equality for the elderly? Even
though Ageless Design
tells us that "Guns and Alzheimer's simply do not mix," I think that's a bit
judgmental, don't you? Still, there are those special problems that seniors
have with their firearms, and we go to Gun Magazine's article, "Geezer
Guns", for advise.
Are your eyes not as
reliable as they used to be? Sure, I know, this can be a real problem with
such tasks as aiming, so why not "give a look at
the ghost ring rear pistol sight." Even better is the Ashley Emerson
express-type sight. "A giant ball, available in
glowing tritium, sits above the muzzle. As the gun comes to the eye, it
settles atop a shallow V, and one has a sight picture that will be lightning
fast at close range."
Arthritis or just
plain tired hands got you down? Do you run for the Bufferin after just one
or two shots? It's time to switch guns! "If
recoil is a problem for sore old hands and .380 is just too little power for
the individual to feel safe with, the 9mm comes into its own. Springfield
Armory is just one manufacturer of 1911 pistols in this caliber, which kick
barely more than .22s and have very light recoil springs which make their
slides very easy to operate."
That's all the time we
have for today, but join us in our next 'Senior Safety' column, where we'll be
discussing the most common causes of self inflicted gun shots among the elderly, such as shooting
yourself in the armpit when your pistol gets caught in those high riding
trousers. |
