Age and self-defense
By MARJ LAW
Many years ago, my family celebrated my birthday. Son #1 says: “Now you are over the hill.”
Son #2 replies: “No. Now you are not only over the hill, but you’re at grandmother’s house already!”
Let me see… Why do we have children?
But the truth is, getting older does affect us. It affects how and what we choose for self-defense.
Survival Sullivan puts it this way: “The bottom line is that no matter how strong or healthy a senior is, they will never be as strong or as healthy as their younger selves…
What we must do, then, is everything we can to maximize specific equipment choices for elderly folks in our lives in order to give them the biggest edge possible and maintain their independence when it comes to self-defense.”
Now, I’m not talking about old as decrepit, I’m just talking old as being, well, mature. So, I ask Joe that when it comes to aging and what to look for in a handgun for the mature person, he gives me a list of what he thinks is most important. We don’t always think alike.
“Number one,” Joe says, “is that the gun must have a good grip for arthritic hands to grasp and control.”
Yes, I agree mentally. Almost everyone over 60 has some kind of arthritis or carpal tunnel problem. A good grip makes a difference.
“Next, the gun should be easy to load, whether that means in a magazine or in a cylinder.”
When he means “easy to load,” he’s referring to the ability of your thumbs to push the rounds into the magazine of a semi-automatic.
That one I don’t agree with. Joe has big hands, and he thinks nothing of taking his thumbs and pushing the rounds into the magazine. “Easy to load” depends on the strength of the individual. “Easy to load” to me means using an UpLula to get those rounds pushed in. Joe thinks using an UpLula is cheating because that’s not how he was taught in the Navy.
Next, Joe cautions to find a gun that has a slide that’s easy to operate. I totally agree. If you can’t yank that slide back, the first round won’t get into the chamber. When you see an older person grabbing at the end of the slide and performing some sort of body contortion, you know the slide is too difficult for that person.
“Cocking the hammer has to be relatively easy, too,” says Joe. Now, I haven’t seen him have trouble with cocking a hammer on a gun, but I do have a friend who couldn’t manage hers.
This friend brings a gun to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range. When she can’t cock the hammer with her thumb, she tries to cock it by pulling back with two thumbs. Really. How hard can that be?
She offers me her gun. I take it. Taking my thumb, I try to cock the hammer. It doesn’t move. This time, I use the thumbs of both hands. My friend looks at me hopefully.
“What can I do?” she asks.
“The name of this gun is Misery,” I say disgustedly. “Sell it.” She can’t handle it and neither can I. Should her life depend on this gun? I don’t think so.
“The cylinder of a revolver should be easy to load and operate,” says Joe.
Sure. Push the cylinder lever. Push, push, push. No. Wait a moment. Don’t push. If it’s all that difficult, it’s not for you.
“The sights should be clear and manageable,” Joe says. Well, some of the older models I’ve seen have had a groove along the slide for the rear sights and a black blade for the front sight.
Let’s get real. Do you think aging eyes can line up these sights? No! Give me some big white dot sights. Give me bright fiber optic sights in red, green, orange… Anything but a groove for a rear sight.
And, if I had my druthers, I’d like a red or green reflex sight. These sights place a dot smack where you want. No more lining up front and rear sights. I like easy.
“Furthermore,” says Joe, “the gun should be easy to fieldstrip, clean, and put back together.”
How true. Many newbies learn by shooting on a .22. If you’ve ever had the displeasure of trying to fieldstrip an older Ruger Mark II or III, well, I’m sorry for you. .22 ammunition is notoriously dirty. That means you need to clean your gun frequently, or you’ll experience misfires.
When you experience a failure with a gun, it’s time to drop the magazine, and inspect the gun for reasons why you have a problem. Once cleared, you have to replace the magazine and try again. That’s pretty demoralizing for a new shooter.
So, yes. Those new to shooting will need a gun that’s easy to take down, clean and put back together. I totally agree with Joe on this one.
“Caliber should be considered for defense, economy and availability,” says Joe. “Remember the newbie whose friend persuaded her to buy a Judge? Sure, it’s great for a defensive handgun. However, for a frail, mature lady, it didn’t work. Her shoulder was in a sling for three weeks after that experience and it took even longer for the pain to go away. Also, ammunition of .410 or 45 Colt is expensive. She could afford it, but who wants to pay dearly for target practice?
So, what caliber ended up being best for her? She was able to handle a 9mm handgun, and was very happy to practice at the range with it.”
“Weight is an issue that should be addressed,” says Joe. “You need to consider weight of the gun for ease of carrying and for holding when you shoot it. Also remember that a super light gun has a heavy recoil, and a super heavy one has to be carried somehow.”
Aha! Finally, I heard the word I would have considered first. Recoil. When a mature person asks about a gun, almost always the first question is: How much kick does the gun have?
Mature newbies do not want recoil. When you ask a big guy about a gun for Newbie, recoil is the very first thing that comes to my mind, but often the last thing a big, strong guy would think of.
Will Newbie be able to handle the recoil? Is the recoil easy enough to handle when shooting at the range for an hour or so?
Finally, gun manufacturers have realized that all shooters are not in their 20s and in top physical condition. Finally, they have addressed recoil. Many are doing a fine job of making guns that are easy to load, easy to operate, and easy to fieldstrip and clean.
It’s about time.
Sullivan sums up: “On the inside, you might feel like you are still in your prime, but your body, your very flesh, begins to betray you.”
He continues: “It manifests as lower energy levels, less tolerance to injury with much lower times to heal and recuperate, a reduction in dexterity, and often deteriorating strength and coordination.”
Joe advises that the mature person should bring someone with firearm knowledge when purchasing a handgun.
My main suggestion is to visit a range where they rent out handguns. Try out a few that your handgun nerd friend thinks you might like.
Whether your main concern is recoil, grip strength, easy to see sights, ease of fieldstripping, lightweight for carrying, or general ease of operating, gun manufacturers have done a good job in making handguns for the mature person’s needs.
I’ll worry about that when I get there.
.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.