Families Confront Dementia and Guns

Debate is raging about how to prevent people with mental illness from getting weapons, but often overlooked is what to do about guns in the homes of aging Americans with impaired or declining mental faculties, reports Kaiser Health News . A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found 45 percent of people 65 and older have guns in their household, while a KHN investigation learned of dozens of cases across the country in which people with dementia used guns to kill or injure themselves or others. The probe found 15 homicides and more than 60 suicides since 2012, with the shooter's victim often people closest to them as well as people they happened to encounter. In cases where charges were brought, many assailants were deemed incompetent to stand trial. A KHN analysis of government poll data in Washington state found about 5 percent of respondents 65 and older reported both some cognitive decline and having guns in their home. Meanwhile, just five states have statutes allowing families to petition a court to temporarily seize weapons from people exhibiting threatening behavior. Moreover, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey suggests few Americans are worried about the potential hazards of seniors and firearms. Lindsay Nichols at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence notes a diagnosis of dementia does not disqualify someone from gun ownership. However, 11 states have passed "red flag" gun laws allowing law enforcement or other state officials, and sometimes family members, to seek a court order to temporarily seize guns from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.