Crimes against Senior Citizens show need for defensive arms

June 17, 6:44 AMCleveland Gun Rights ExaminerDaniel White

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Courtesy of Oleg Volk

In the wild, large predators like wolves and lions tend to select old or sick animals from the herd to attack. The reason is simple, these are the weakest animals, increasing the chance of a successful kill and decreasing the chance for injury to the predator.

It is no different with human predators. Muggers, robbers, carjackers, home invaders, etc. all look for the easiest target that will give them the greatest chance of success with the least chance of injury to themselves. This is demonstrated by the recent increase in crimes against the elderly in the Columbus area, rising from an average of 55-60 incidents per month to a reported 110 for April (nearly double).

There has been a lot of concern that the poor economy and high unemployment rate will lead to desperate people turning to crime, and this is an indicator that those concerns seem to be justified. It would also stand to reason that a novice criminal would do everything they could to increase their odds of success and take fewer risks, and this includes targeting senior citizens.

This trend, coupled with fears of new gun control restrictions and further economic complications leading to fewer police officers, is what has lead to the steadily increasing numbers of concealed handgun licenses and firearms sales. It is a natural instinct for those who feel vulnerable to take steps to increase their safety, and one of those steps often involved buying a gun and learning how to use it.

Very few people in their seventies or eighties can fight off a mugger who is in his prime if they are unarmed. But give that person a defensive firearm, and suddenly the odds for survival jump significantly. Firearms are known as equalizers for a reason. An armed senior citizen is more than capable of defeating a criminal attack by a much younger and stronger assailant.

The gun grabbers will tell you that the only purpose a firearm has is to take lives, but they completely ignore the other side of the equation, that in the hands of a law abiding citizen a firearm might very well save a life.

The right to live your life unmolested does not end when your AARP membership comes in the mail. A gun in the hands of a trained senior helps defend that right to life.