Kerby Anderson

Imagine the challenge you face if you want to implement strict gun control policies. The American people aren’t interested in what amounts to gun bans. So you need another strategy to get rid of guns. There might just be a way. A professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says that it is dangerous for our senior citizens to own a gun. She believes that California’s Gun Violence Restraining Orders provide a way that families can have guns confiscated from older relatives. It turns out that gun ownership is most common in America for those who are age 50 or older. You might remember that it was a senior citizen in Chicago who challenged that city’s handgun ban and won at the Supreme Court level. Nevertheless, the professor and other gun control advocates argue that senior citizens should not have a gun for three reasons. They might use it on themselves to commit suicide. They might use in on someone what is in the home for a legitimate purpose (e.g., a caretaker). And, there is also the danger that a grandchild might find the gun. A similar discussion has been taking place about whether college students should be allowed to have access to a gun. After all, a spirited debate on campus might lead to a murderous rampage. College students are notorious for wild behavior and even binge drinking. That should be reason enough to keep guns out of their hands. Any adult with children probably shouldn’t have a gun in the home because a child might find it and use it. You can even find a discussion about whether single women should have a gun since they may be too weak to hold it and may be incapable of using it effectively. Perhaps now you can see what the next strategy for gun control will entail. Make citizens fearful of what a senior citizen might do if armed, and you have all the justification you need for taking Granny’s gun.