[buggyone]

I saw in the Daily Sun a few days ago that a Villager was cleaning his pistol and shot himself in the stomach. How can a person who has handled guns enough to own one be so careless not to check and double check that the pistol was unloaded?

Was it a case of being careless or possibly just too old to have a gun?

I know there are no maximum ages for driving or for gun ownership but at some time, most people do voluntarily (or at the insistence of family) give up keys to the car. What about for guns?

I have always advocated a yearly vision and driving skill test for drivers over 80. What about a vision and shooting skill test for gun owners over 80?

[ilovetv]

Buggy's suggestion would require registration/licensing of the guns first, and that's unlikely to happen.

I don't think many people in TV shoot themselves accidentally, while cleaning their gun. If they do, that's their problem.

If they are too feeble to drive, they're also probably too feeble to live in their own home and are likely to be in an assisted living facility where relatives and workers see to it that they don't have guns.

[CFrance]

Oh, boy, I'm not sure I agree with you, lovey, especially the last part. I know many people who are still living alone in houses who should not be driving. Maybe it's a Michigan thing, but there are quite a few in my old neighborhood there.

As far as guns, I thought we already had registration and licensing of guns, so I'm thinking Buggy has a good idea. That person could well have had the gun turned the other way when it went off and shot a family member.

[ilovetv]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Oh, boy, I'm not sure I agree with you, lovey, especially the last part. I know many people who are still living alone in houses who should not be driving. Maybe it's a Michigan thing, but there are quite a few in my old neighborhood there.

As far as guns, I thought we already had registration and licensing of guns, so I'm thinking Buggy has a good idea. That person could well have had the gun turned the other way when it went off and shot a family member.

This is true. But it's also up to the family members to monitor their elderly parents/siblings/grandparents who have guns.

Drivers too feeble to drive safely should be reported to the state and if it's a relative, the person's doctor and/or eye doctor should be told.

[Trayderjoe]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Oh, boy, I'm not sure I agree with you, lovey, especially the last part. I know many people who are still living alone in houses who should not be driving. Maybe it's a Michigan thing, but there are quite a few in my old neighborhood there.

As far as guns, I thought we already had registration and licensing of guns, so I'm thinking Buggy has a good idea. That person could well have had the gun turned the other way when it went off and shot a family member.

I agree with you CFrance. My mother voluntarily gave up her car and license about 8 years ago. She lives on her own and manages quite well although she does miss the "freedom" to go to the store when she wishes.

When a gun is registered, is the owner also required to demonstrate some level of qualification/training? I realize the laws may vary, but if there is no "qualification" tied to registration, then there is one less "check" for a potential gun owner. Of course, being "qualified" doesn't ensure that safe practices will always be followed (the "it can't happen to me" scenario).

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

This is true. But it's also up to the family members to monitor their elderly parents/siblings/grandparents who have guns.

Drivers too feeble to drive safely should be reported to the state and if it's a relative, the person's doctor and/or eye doctor should be told.

If a driver would be "reported to the state" for being too old to drive safely, there is nothing the "state" can do as long as the person has a valid license. If a relative or friend cannot get them to voluntarily give up their license to drive, there is nothing that can be done.

Now, if there was a mandatory vision/driving skills test after 80, a license could be revoked and I feel most would abide with that revocation.

The same could be said for guns. If there was a mandatory vision/shooting skills test after 80, the gun could be kept or lost. Is this "gun control"? Yes and therefore will never happen.

[Taltarzac725]

I had a friend in Reno named Chuck who used to do very stupid things like carp fishing with a machete. He cut his leg open. He also found a very old pistol buried in the desert, dusted it off, took it home, and proceeded to see if it still fired. He blew a good part of his hand off. Some people do stupid things whether they are 18 or 88. This guy Chuck did seem that the way he was going he would be a Darwin Award winner. http://www.darwinawards.com/ I would always get very far behind Chuck's little brother when he insisted on going rattlesnake hunting with shotguns. His little brother seemed to be following in his older brother's accident prone footsteps.

[Cisco Kid]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

I had a friend in Reno named Chuck who used to do very stupid things like carp fishing with a machete. He cut his leg open. He also found a very old pistol buried in the desert, dusted it off, took it home, and proceeded to see if it still fired. He blew a good part of his hand off. Some people do stupid things whether they are 18 or 88. This guy Chuck did seem that the way he was going he would be a Darwin Award winner. Darwin Awards. Homo sapiens decline; Neo Sapiens rise! February 2013 I would always get very far behind Chuck's little brother when he insisted on going rattlesnake hunting with shotguns. His little brother seemed to be following in his older brother's accident prone footsteps.

( carp fishing with a machete )

I'll bet you anything I have a bloodline to this guy.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

( carp fishing with a machete )

I'll bet you anything I have a bloodline to this guy.

Six degrees of separation!

[janmcn]

In Florida, once a person turns 80 years old that person is required to have an eye exam whenever renewing a driver's license, and those licenses are only good for five years. At least an 80 year old is having his eyesight tested every five years.


Official Website Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

[DougB]

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

( carp fishing with a machete )

I'll bet you anything I have a bloodline to this guy.

Is there another way to carp fish?

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

( carp fishing with a machete )

I'll bet you anything I have a bloodline to this guy.

Hey, I was killing chubs with a coat hanger when I was 6. Family vacation, Keaton Beach, FL.

about the topic, accidents happen even to normally careful people. Let him who hasn't ever had one throw...in the towel. You can be too careful.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by buggyone

I saw in the Daily Sun a few days ago that a Villager was cleaning his pistol and shot himself in the stomach. How can a person who has handled guns enough to own one be so careless not to check and double check that the pistol was unloaded?

Was it a case of being careless or possibly just too old to have a gun?

I know there are no maximum ages for driving or for gun ownership but at some time, most people do voluntarily (or at the insistence of family) give up keys to the car. What about for guns?

I have always advocated a yearly vision and driving skill test for drivers over 80. What about a vision and shooting skill test for gun owners over 80?

I tend to enjoy buggyone's recurring posts related to his preoccupation with limiting other's access to guns.

Mainly, the posts tend to bring out points of view that show that others are unfamiliar with existing firearms laws. For example, CFrance and Trayderjoe appear to believe that there is a system of "firearms registration and licensing of guns."

A central registry of firearms ownership is prohibited by the federal Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986. The pertinent paragraph is:

"No such rule or regulation prescribed after the date of the enactment of the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act may require that records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions be established. Nothing in this section expands or restricts the Secretary’s [1] authority to inquire into the disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal investigation."

Further, after a person who is purchasing a firearm undergoes a national background check, the records of that check are to be destroyed withing 24 hours.

---------------------------

1. This does not mean that many firearms that are recovered at crime scenes or otherwise cannot be traced in some manner. The manufacturer is required to keep a record of the firearms dealer who purchased the gun and the dealer is required to keep a record of the individual to whom the gun was sold. Any further disposition of the gun that goes through a licensed firearms dealer is also recorded.

But, of course, the chain is broken if the firearm is stolen or disposed of in a private transaction.

2. The State of Connecticut recently passed an "assault weapon" registration law which appears to be contrary to the Firearms Owners' Protection Act, which may explain why thousands of citizens of Connecticut have defied the law. It will be interesting to see how this is handled in the courts.

----------------------

I'll speak to the actual content of buggyone's original post in a later message.

[billethkid]

I strongly suspect that the person did not shoot themselves while cleaning their gun, but was/is the best tale that shields them from embarassment.....as if shooting one's self while cleaning isn't embarassing enough.

It is pretty difficult to shoot one's self while cleaning a gun....the story stinx!!!

And Carl I am sure you know that explaining anything regarding guns to anybody against guns is a waste of keystrokes.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by billethkid

I strongly suspect that the person did not shoot themselves while cleaning their gun, but was/is the best tale that shields them from embarassment.....as if shooting one's self while cleaning isn't embarassing enough.

It is pretty difficult to shoot one's self while cleaning a gun....the story stinx!!!

And Carl I am sure you know that explaining anything regarding guns to anybody against guns is a waste of keystrokes.

I agree. Maybe he changed his mind and missed and needed a good excuse.

Z