Inherited a Suicide Gun

What to do?

  • Sell it to buy another gun.

    Votes: 51 38.6%

  • Keep it as a family heirloom/keepsake.

    Votes: 13 9.8%

  • Use it like any other gun.

    Votes: 58 43.9%

  • Destroy it.

    Votes: 10 7.6%
  • Total voters
    132
  • Poll closed .
Weird scenario...

It will boil down to how comfortable you are with keeping it. If it doesn't bother you at all, then why get rid of it?

On the other hand, if it bothers you or any other family members, then get rid of it.

It really depends on you. I voted to keep it because i'm not easily bothered by such things. YMMV
 
My first 1911 was a suicide gun of a loved one. I CCW'd it for a while, but it had target sights that kept grinding into my side. It also had one hell of a hammerbite. It is now a safe queen, but only because of functional reasons, not emotional.

It is a tool, nothing more.
 
If my uncle hanged himself I would destroy the rope too, even if it was still a perfectly good rope.
It doesn't have anything to do with guns but rather the implements, any implement, of suicide.
 
I've had two over the years. One was a Winchester Model 1895 kept that one and the other one was a single shot 22 gave that to my brother.
 
Sorry for your loss, but, that said;
Shooting the one my brother shot himself with didn't and doesn't bother me in the least. :)
Besides, it was him, not the pistol.:D
 
Microgunner- I don't see how someone could choke their self with $10,000 but regardless with a statement like that you must be a millionaire. You could take the $10k to the bank and exchange it, just like the gun in question could be swapped for another. Btw, destroying the money would be a federal offense.
 
microgunner said:
If my uncle hanged himself I would destroy the rope too, even if it was still a perfectly good rope.
Click to expand...

A rope by itself wouldn't have allowed him to hang himself. Would you also destroy the tree, garage rafter, curtain rod, porch beam, or whatever particular object the other end of the rope was attached to?

If it was a tree, how about the dirt holding the tree up? At what point do you consider enough inanimate objects to be destroyed?
 
Following your hypothesis we'd have to destroy the entire universe, seeing how everything is interconnected.
No, I'd be satisfied with just the rope.
It's purely personal, I'm not trying to sway anyone.
 
How about this idea. Put a gun lock on it, put it in a case and put it away for a while. That might be a month, a year, 5 years. Then re-evaluate your feelings on it. If you still can't handle having it around dispose of it however you wish.
 
It's completely and totally a personal call. How do you feel about it?

If it belonged to a relative I never met, it might not be a problem. It might feel a little weird to own and shoot, but I certainly wouldn't have any problem selling it.

If it belonged to someone a bit closer, it would depend on the specifics of what the gun means in the context of the relationship and suicide.

If it was immediate family and and the firearm would only serve as a reminder of sadness and loss, I might ask the police to destroy it.
 
I am sorry to hear of your loss. Sell it and use the proceeds to buy something positive by which to remember your relative.
 
I have no idea what to do with it. Somehow, I don't think it will fit in alongside my 10/22s.

This makes it sound like it's a gun you'd never have bought even if it hadn't had the grim history attached. In that case, you might want to go towards sale or trade. If you sold it or traded it, I would consider it my duty to inform the buyer (privately) of the history before they were legally committed to the sale. They might not want a gun that'd been used in a suicide either.

Ask yourself also, "If the relative had died of something else, ANYTHING else, would I still want or keep the gun?" If the answer to that question is no, again, getting rid of it may be the preferable option.

If the suicide aspect makes you feel nervous about passing it on, consider offering it to a gunsmith for reduction to spare parts. Only if it's really spooking the hell out of you would I advise destruction.

If the relative meant a lot to you, and you have fond memories of shooting together, that might act as a spur to keep it and shoot it in their memory - but this is a thing only you can decide. I've heard of people shooting a tiny pinch of their loved ones' ashes in their memory, in a gun they used to own, pressed into a hollow point bullet or mixed (in small volume) in with the powder (if reloading or muzzle loading are options). You might consider a gesture like that if you felt it appropriate, before sending the gun on its way.
 
I'd sell it for something I'd use. Personally I could never look at it without remembering that person/event. I don't need that constant reminder in my gun safe.
 
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