Which gun to keep?
By MARJ LAW
The phone rings at 6 p.m. I glance over to the readout. It’s a number from out of town.
“Another trash call,” I mutter. “They always call at dinnertime.”
“Hello,” I say (in not my friendliest voice).
“Please don’t hang up. I’ve read your column,” she says (and now I’m really listening) “and am hoping you can help me. My name is EmilyAnn Patterson.”
“How can I help?”
“My husband passed away last year and he left me some guns. I don’t know what to do with them. I’d like to keep one for my personal defense, and then sell the rest. Could you look at them and help me decide?”
You never know what people have collected.
“May I bring them to you? My grandson just unloaded them. I might just give the ones I don’t want to him. He’s in his 30s and likes to hunt.”
I turn to Joe. “This may be interesting. A woman whose husband has passed wants us to look at his collection of guns. She’ll be coming over tomorrow.”
“Great.” Joe’s willing to help.
The next day, a woman knocks at the door. She looks to be in her late 70s. She is frail, small-boned, and has white hair. She has a long gun on her shoulder and is awkwardly cradling three more guns in the crook of her elbow.
“Hi!” she smiles. “I’m EmilyAnn.”
Joe carefully takes the guns and places them on the counter. We introduce ourselves.
“Harry died last year. He loved his guns. He said these are all really good ones. Jimmy, my grandson, thinks so too. He’s ready to keep any guns I don’t want. I only plan on keeping one of them for self-defense now that I’m alone. Oh, and he unloaded them before he left, so don’t worry about that.”
Yes, so she told us last night on the phone. I pick up an airweight snub-nosed .38 revolver. Rolling the cylinder out, I notice the gun is loaded. I pop out the rounds and put them in a baggie.
Joe is looking at the over-and-under.
“Marj,” he warns, “This gun is loaded.”
I look at EmilyAnn.
“Funny,” she muses, “I thought the guns were unloaded.”
“We always check,” I tell her. “We point every gun in a safe direction, and then treat every gun as though it is loaded.”
“They did that at the gun shop too,” EmilyAnn admits. “But I was afraid to consider selling any of my guns until I know more about what I should ask.”
“Harry said they are all really good guns,” she continues. “He used the one Joe is holding for home defense.”
“It’s a Mossburg Model 590 12-gauge pump shotgun,” says Joe as he places six rounds of 12 gauge ammunition into another baggie. “Yes, it’s a good gun for the home.”
“He once said that all I need to do is point it in at anyone who breaks into the house and I will be safe. Harry was big into self-defense, even though he was a big guy. But that gun weighs a ton,” she adds.
“Have you ever shot it?” asks Joe.
“Well, no.”
Joe picks up a .45-caliber 1911 Kimber with a 4 inch barrel.
“Harry said that was good for self-defense, too,” said EmilyAnn.
“Have you ever shot this one?” asks Joe.
“Well, no,” she admits.
“It’s in good condition,” says Joe.
“Yes, Harry liked to clean his guns after going to the range.”
Next, Joe picks up a large revolver. “It’s a Colt Python,” he begins. “If Harry was a hunter, this gun could be great protection from black bears or coyotes. You can’t shoot black bears in Florida unless they are coming at you, but if one did, this would be good protection. And it’s in good shape, too.”
Harry must have liked revolvers. Joe picks up another.
“This is a Tarus Judge,” he says. “Look at that. He had it loaded just the way I would have. He put in two .410 shotgun shells and three semi-jacketed .45 Colt rounds. He could kill a snake, and still protect himself from larger animals.”
“Yes, Harry liked to tramp out in the woods,” agreed EmilyAnn.
I pick up the .38 and say: “It has a very short barrel. Maybe 1 3/4 inches. Hm. Smith & Wesson. It is truly very light.”
“Yes, it’s light,” EmilyAnn agrees. “Harry had a holster and he could keep this gun in a pocket. He called it his ‘back-up’ gun. I shot it one time, but it had an awful recoil. It hurt my shoulder. I couldn’t do much with my shoulder for a couple weeks after shooting that one. Maybe you could teach me how to shoot it so I don’t hurt myself again.”
“Harry assured me that they are all great self-defense guns,” she repeats. “Which one should I keep to learn to use for myself?”
Joe and I look at each other. We look at EmilyAnn’s thin arms and slight build. She has told us about her arthritis in her shoulders and carpal-tunnel problems in her arms and wrists.
Joe continues to look at me. Guess I get to do the dirty work.
“EmilyAnn,” I begin. “These are all good guns.” She nods. “And your Harry kept them in fine condition.” She nods again.
“But EmilyAnn. Although these guns are great guns, they are not great for you.”
“None of them?” EmilyAnn is discouraged.
“No. Let me bring you a gun and let’s see if you can handle it.” I unlock the gun safe and pull out my Smith & Wesson M&P .380 Shield EZ.
“Let’s see if you can rack the slide on this one.” I pull back the slide to show her that the gun is not loaded.
She nods. Then she takes the EZ and racks the slide smoothly.
“I can do that!” she says happily. “And the gun doesn’t weigh a ton!”
“Go ahead. You can pull the trigger on this one,” I suggest.
We hear a small click.
“That was easy! I like this one!” she grins. “Are you selling it?”
“No, but I’ll write the name of it down so that you can get one for yourself. Get the exact model because there are several iterations of this gun. It’s likely that one of the nearby gun shop owners might allow you to trade in one of Harry’s guns, to help defray the cost of your new gun. Joe will look up sites on the internet that sell used guns. He’ll find a range of prices, so you’ll know about what your guns are worth. This will help you in bargaining. Also, if you give one of Harry’s guns to your grandson, you’ll know the value of the gun.”
“Thanks a lot.” EmilyAnn picks up the baggies that Joe has identified with a permanent marker so that she knows which ammunition goes to which gun.
“Give us a call before you go to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range,” I offer. “We’ll meet you out there, go over range rules, and help you to manage your new handgun.”
“I wish Harry were here to see this,” EmilyAnn says softly.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.