AP: More seniors are gun owners

October 4, 2004
Foster's Online

PLAISTOW, N.H. (AP) — Merilyn P. Senter, a selectman, is a former hunter who still has the .22-caliber rifle her father gave her on her seventh birthday.

Over the years, Senter, 69, added a shotgun and a handgun to her collection. She got the handgun for personal protection after she received two threatening phone calls, including one after her efforts on behalf of residents upset about what they believed was a hazardous waste site in town.

Senter bought a purse with a special compartment to carry her .38-caliber handgun, including on trips to the Statehouse when she was a state representative.

"People are shocked when they find out I carried a gun and that I’m a gun owner," Senter said. "I don’t know why they should be."

Firearms instructors in New Hampshire say they believe a growing number of senior citizens are becoming more familiar with guns, learning how to shoot to protect themselves and families from crimes.

The percentage of seniors who own guns is higher than for any other age group, according to surveys by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

Click here to read the entire story.