Guns and age

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Sac49

Sac49

Senior Member
#21
Jun 26, 2016
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#21
When i can no longer "rack the slide" of my xds 9mm i will get a revolver. When i can no longer get a 6 inch group at 30 ft ill get a green dot site. When i can no longer see the green dot ill get glasses. If i can no longer see the green dot with glasses ill get a shotgun. If i can no longer handle the recoil of a shotgun then maybe ill give it up....naw! shooting at the range is too much fun!

But seriously i like the conceal carry laws in Pa. It is not a simple fill out a paper and get a permit. They actually chek background. Case in point, my ex can no longer get a permit because hers ran out and she now has a "record". (Driving issues beyond speeding).
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#22
#22
SparkleEyes said:
All of this recent discussion about guns and personal safety got me thinking about age and carrying and operating a gun. Our abilities, reflexes and faculties diminish as we age. At some point, all of us, if we lived long enough, should stop driving a car or use other equipment. I think the same goes for other things that require strength, dexterity and a sound clear mind - like guns. If we are not able to use a gun with a strong degree of accuracy and good judgement, we should not carry or use one. What do you think?
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If I'm going to be too weak to carry a gun, am I safe picking up a chicken in the grocery store? Will someone had to carry my laundry for me? My garbage? (I'm okay with that one. lol) Exactly how much strength do you think it takes to use a gun?

If I lose that much dexterity, do I have to give up using the phone? How about a keyboard? Should I just leave my door open and keep my car running, because those keys can be tricky little things.

And if we're worried about a sound clear mind, should we be letting anyone under the age of 40 touch a gun? How about voting? Maybe raise the age to vote to 50? I'm thinking at least 60 after this.

Really? Really really? There isn't a single gun-control law, not even by the most liberal of liberals that judge gun use by strength and dexterity. But you are. And it is already illegal to have a gun without a sound-mind. Matter of fact, that's so broad a term, that being suicidal decades ago, having anorexia when young, or having claustrophobia precludes people from owning a gun in the vast majority of states. No one ever defined defines "mental illness" other than "ever" when they past those nonsense laws.

My family either dies young or lives a good long time, (80's and 90's) and out of the 11 people who did live into their 80's and 90's only two of them should have had their guns taken away because they did get dementia. One was never into guns in the first place, so nothing needed to be taken away, and the other did have the guns removed out of common sense.

Should all old people have their guns taken away because 10% should? Seems like a strange idea.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#23
#23
Ultimatum77 said:
Anyone over age 75 should be tested and restricted according to their medical conditions such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, dementia, reflexes etc. But I don't know of many 75 yo people who go around shooting others so probably just limit their driving....b/c by the time they got to defend themselves with a gun(by getting it) they probably would be done in anyway...
you just can't move as fast when you're older 70's and up than when your younger than 60 or so....
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Yeah, well, it's already been established that you think women in their 50's and 60's are too old to run a country, so I'm just glad you don't make the laws.

You don't really have to move fast to point a gun. Matter of fact, it's best when done slowly, so you don't shoot the wrong thing or spook the right thing.

(Why does it feel like everyone thinks people with guns only shoot other people? In my extended family they usually shoot bunnies, squirrels, ducks, geese, and a deer once in awhile. Move quickly around prey, and all you get is a trip to the market to buy dinner.)

Grandmother Lee drove a car until she died. She died when she was 94. She also worried about being too old to drive, so she retook her driver's licence test every six months for the last 30 years of her life. She also got a perfect score every single time she got the test, and the testers loved having her visit so often. lol

Hard to believe, but the majority of old people never get dementia or Parkinson's. (Alzheimer's is dementia.) Added bonus, they keep their reflexes, which is good, since it's hard to sit, stand or walk without them.

Parkinson's usually starts in the 30's and 40's. So, are you suggesting anyone over 30 shouldn't drive or own a gun either?
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#24
#24
Ultimatum77 said:
Dude this is a little off topic but I have to ask, is that profile picture of you with a stache? Rock that stache man!
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It's Tom Selleck when he was younger.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#25
#25
zeroturbulence said:
I understand your reasoning but I don't remember ever hearing about someone getting shot because an older person mishandled a gun. What I do hear is young guys who accidentally shoot themselves while taking a selfie or sometimes while cleaning or demonstrating without knowing there is a round left in the chamber. Also, kids getting hold of their parent's gun and accidentally shooting someone.

...and I am 99% sure that is Tom Selleck... but who knows, maybe he's his twin.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney_hunting_incident

Gun accidents happen at any age.
 
S

SparkleEyes

Senior Member
#26
Mar 23, 2013
771
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#26
It is so interesting to read the comments from older on the topic of aging. Any hint of becoming unable, weaker in either mental or physical capacities and the hair raises on some of our backs. "How dare you call me unable." is the underlying thought for some.

Before you want to respond in a defensive way, I am getting older and feel the effects of aging so I am right there with you. :cool:
 
Willie-T

Willie-T

Banned
#27
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
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#27
Some of you youngsters need this 71 year-old man to slap you around a little. LOL
 
Sac49

Sac49

Senior Member
#28
Jun 26, 2016
582
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#28
I think this subject is a good one to think about actually. I am getting older and my arthritis is getting worse. If i can no longer handle a gun safely due to age or disability i would hope that someone would mention it too me if i didnt see it or ignored it. It is a different situation with each person. I personally like constructive critism because others can see things i dont always see. Maybe it is a good idea to "have a test" at a certain age just to "be on the safe side" for those of us who legally carry and believe gun safety is very important. A "nothing personal" type thing but a "safety" thing. Maybe it should even be required each time we renew our liscense for carry conceal or hunting. Like i mentioned before, i really enjoy shooting at the range but if i am putting others safety at risk then thats not good.

And as someone said....gun accidents happen at any age and any experience of the user so we need not take it too far but for a safety reason. There is a fine line that is not easily defined. Yes protect our "right to bear arms" but in the correct way. And pray we never need to use them against another human being.
 
M

Mitspa

Guest
#30
#30
This whole thread is insulting to older people and the premise is illegal according to the laws of our nation...its not old people going around shooting people ..its young street thugs and muslims. Maybe we should test all street thugs and muslims to see if they should have a gun?
 
EmilyNats

EmilyNats

Senior Member
#32
Jul 28, 2016
1,374
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#32
I think old people are in just as much need of protection as everyone else. That is what guns are for. Several people said that some older people may need to have their guns taken away because they can't operate it "properly" or "safely". But by my own observation, older people are more careful with guns than younger people are. Yes, some have died by accidentally shooting themselves during a cleaning, ect... but as someone else pointed out, that's every age.
 
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Tinuviel

Guest
#33
#33
Oh, come on. Age is relative. I've seen some people who are never too old to shoot/operate/care for a gun. Come to think of it...I've seen people who are never old enough, also.
 
Desdichado

Desdichado

Senior Member
#34
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
838
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#34
Sac49 said:
I think this subject is a good one to think about actually. I am getting older and my arthritis is getting worse. If i can no longer handle a gun safely due to age or disability i would hope that someone would mention it too me if i didnt see it or ignored it. It is a different situation with each person. I personally like constructive critism because others can see things i dont always see. Maybe it is a good idea to "have a test" at a certain age just to "be on the safe side" for those of us who legally carry and believe gun safety is very important. A "nothing personal" type thing but a "safety" thing. Maybe it should even be required each time we renew our liscense for carry conceal or hunting. Like i mentioned before, i really enjoy shooting at the range but if i am putting others safety at risk then thats not good.

And as someone said....gun accidents happen at any age and any experience of the user so we need not take it too far but for a safety reason. There is a fine line that is not easily defined. Yes protect our "right to bear arms" but in the correct way. And pray we never need to use them against another human being.
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The "beauty" about guns is that most people are able to defend their lives and liberty with them. As a young man, I realize that my physical abilities will diminish with time and they are a plus when shooting.

But part of the value of a firearm is that older people can use them. As can people in wheel chairs. The really short. The physically weak, etc.

Guns are used today because you can take a peasant and make him a warrior capable of going toe to toe with a noble and winning. The inherent advantages of a "warrior class" still exist, but are well-diminished in a polite and well-armed society.

So yeah, I'm absolutely for older people with guns. As long as they are disciplined and not a danger to themselves and others.
 
Desdichado

Desdichado

Senior Member
#36
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
838
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#36
Really, I'd trust an infirm individual with a gun faster than I would with a car.
 
Demi777

Demi777

Senior Member
#37
Oct 13, 2014
6,877
1,949
113
Germany
#37
Tinuviel said:
Oh, come on. Age is relative. I've seen some people who are never too old to shoot/operate/care for a gun. Come to think of it...I've seen people who are never old enough, also.
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The pic with a 3yr old and a sniper rifle on a roof is scary though...
 
EmilyNats

EmilyNats

Senior Member
#39
Jul 28, 2016
1,374
204
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#39
Demi777 said:
The pic with a 3yr old and a sniper rifle on a roof is scary though...
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But in Muslim countries,they literally have kids not evening their teens ruining around with machine guns and carrying out military activities, with more responsibility than most American adults. I by no means am trying to glorify the Muslims, but I think if their kids are capable of handling again, ours are too. But our culture has become increasingly touchy about everything, particularly when it comes to the capabilities of the young and the elderly. You're old enough to vote when you're 18, but you aren't responsible enough to drink, carry a gun, or get a credit card until you're 21. It's incredibly messed up,only opinion.
 
Demi777

Demi777

Senior Member
#40
Oct 13, 2014
6,877
1,949
113
Germany
#40
EmilyNats said:
But in Muslim countries,they literally have kids not evening their teens ruining around with machine guns and carrying out military activities, with more responsibility than most American adults. I by no means am trying to glorify the Muslims, but I think if their kids are capable of handling again, ours are too. But our culture has become increasingly touchy about everything, particularly when it comes to the capabilities of the young and the elderly. You're old enough to vote when you're 18, but you aren't responsible enough to drink, carry a gun, or get a credit card until you're 21. It's incredibly messed up,only opinion.
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Well I know that they also send toddlers full with bombs to soldiers. Well here in Germany you can get a credit card very soon. Here you can drink sooner too.. But yes some US laws are crazy.. But Muslims are worse
Here You only see the police carrying a gun.. no one else
 
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