My most hated gun is in my house

[gdcpony]

I have an irrational hatred for the Ruger 10/22. I hate it with such a passion that I want to burn them all. Funny for such a .22 lover like me. I love most rimfires. Yet right now a 10/22 sits in my case downstairs. Not just any 10/22, but the one responsible for my deep seeded hatred.

You see I bought it for my parents a decade ago. They had pawned one off to feed us kids long before I knew what a trigger was, and I wanted to give one back to them. I never imagined what it would end up being used for.

My mother used this very one and ended her own life 6 years ago. For some reason my dad kept it. I hate it, and have been trying to get him to get rid of it. I hated the idea of that same rifle sitting in his closet as he missed his wife. You never know right?

Yesterday, he said he was thinking of selling it. I bought it right away to get it out of his house. Now, I am suffering a dilemma. I hate it, but at the same time I hate the thought of it going away too. I really wish I could explain it. My brother is feeling the same way now too.

So for now it will keep it's place. Maybe a burning later in front of my brother and sister. Sorry for the morbid thread, but just knowing that thing is in my house is keeping me up tonight with memories.

 

[esheato]

Saw it in half and throw it away. If it's that distressing, get rid of it.

 

[X-JaVeN-X]

It's not the gun's fault and I don't think burning it will make the loss of your mom any better, but by all means, if it brings up painful memories more than they are already there, then just get rid of it.

 

[El Mariachi]

Sad, sad , sad.....

 

[Fishslayer]

It's causing pain. Sell it & be rid of it.

 

[Rocketmedic]

I'll buy it from you if it matters- any object can have emotional significance, and I totally understand your negative feelings about it. If destroying it makes you feel better, then go for it. If you want to sell it instead, well, I'm open.

 

[Sport45]

Yeah, the gun is just a reminder. Get rid of it. Too bad you didn't let your dad sell it. You probably took it for the same reason he held on to it for so long.

Again, it's probably time to get rid of it. Don't try to destroy it because you'll just be tempted to hang onto some remnant.

 

[TraditionalCatholic]

I must say that given your emotional state, sell it. I wish I could say it will get easier, but it won't. Losing someone like that is never easy, no matter what way you look at it. The only thing you can do is ease the pain a little. Sell that 10/22 to someone, and who knows, maybe its terrible past can be turned into something good?

And, if you don't want it to exist, destroy it. I don't think anyone here would fault you if you did, given the extremely saddening circumstances.

 

[Bill_Shelton]

A gun is just a tool. A gun may be used for some very sad reasons - or for some very good reasons....but it is still a tool.

I know it's hard, but please try to remember.

Bill

 

[MyGreenGuns]

That gun holds too much negative energy for you and yours, get rid of it.

Destroy it if you must, I might be tempted to do that in that situation.

or Sell it and spend the proceeds on you and yours. Have a BBQ, bring everyone together.

I am truely sorry for you loss.

 

[wankerjake]

I offer my condolences. I hate to see a good rifle go to waste but if you need to do that to try and find some closure then by all means... but my unbiased thought is to sell it or give it to a youngster to learn to shoot/hunt with. Like mentioned before it's just a tool. I'm sure it would make someone's day to be gifted a good rifle. Maybe it won't make you feel better, but it'll make somebody else feel better. I guess after 6 years that might make me feel better, knowing that somebody else can use it for good. But that is just speculation. Again, I offer my condolences.

 

[Usertag]

Sell it (cheap) and move on. I guess, I understand where you are coming from. But along time ago my Grandpa, shoot himself with a 1911 and I still love the 1911. I loved him, but I just had to move on. It wasn't the gun or his fault, that diabetes literally made him turn blue and have extreme pain sensitive nerves.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I say destroy it. It will likely make you feel better.

 

[General Geoff]

The gun is just a tool, don't destroy it just because a loved one used it to end their own life. If you can't bear to live with that particular rifle, then sell or give it to someone who will cherish it, and hopefully the rifle can be a catalyst for some good memories in the future.

 

[TexasBill]

The gun is a link to your mother and it can be hard to let those go even if was the means by which she ended her life. However, it is having a damaging effect on you and your family.

I am genuinely sorry for your loss and the pain you still feel but destroying the rifle won't bring her back or provide much solace; you can't take revenge on an inanimate object. Instead, consider selling the rifle for whatever you can get. Take the proceeds and buy some flowers for her grave or make a donation to a charity in her memory. Turn the negative into a positive while getting rid of a reminder of tragedy.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The question of whether to buy a gun that has been used in a crime, suicide or in war by the enemy comes up every so often. Usually the answer is that it is just an inanimate object. But in this case, it is too close and personal to you. Get shed of it by whatever means you feel appropriate. I think TexasBill gave you some good advice.

 

[gdcpony]

Yeah I see what everyone says. While it is not the rifle's fault, it will probably be destroyed. Knowing it is not at fault (yes, I do know that) is not quite enough. For now though it will sit. My brother wants to see it burn.

 

[Birdhunter1]

GDC I personally do not know how you feel, however...
before I was born my mothers father was in a tractor rollover accident that took his life, a neighbor of ours had a D17 with a front end loader and he was asked to use it to carry him out. The neighbor never could look at that tractor the same again and and eventually sold it in grief. Of course my mother saw that same tractor everyday as she had to pass by his feedlot it everyday on her way to work.
When he sold it my dad said the neighbor and my mother were both happier people, though neither had ever mentioned it to each other just to my dad.

 

[ATBackPackin]

I am very sorry about your loss. I can say though that I completely understand what you are feeling. I lost my father to suicide by gun twelve years ago.

I certainly understand your confusion about what to do with the gun and probably feeling that no matter what you do with it that you will eventually regret it.

If it were me I would sell it or even give it away to someone who would appreciate it. Knowing that it was giving someone else pleasure would give me much more closure than destroying it. Destroying it would only make me feel worse because I let an object of wood and steel get the better of me. I think I would regret it, but by then it will be to late. On the other hand keeping it would be an option for me either. I would use something else as a reminder of her, as I am sure you already have, not that. However, that is what I would do, you must find your own path.


Again very sorry and best wishes.

Shawn

 

[speedway]

Give it to someone who would enjoy it like a friend or neighbor.

 

[ZeSpectre]

I say this in all earnestness. I strongly suggest you seek professional counseling.

 

[JohnBT]

"A gun is just a tool."

I hate cheap tools, too. The 10/22 is like a cheap hammer with a loose handle.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

at most its worth 200.00 (Thats new).

Get rid of it, cut it up, sell it, bury it, whatever. Dont torture yourself over 200.00......................

 

[Carl N. Brown]

What is hurtful to you about this gun is the associations, the history. You see it as a symbol of failure of your good intent. As hurtful as it is, your mother made her decision for her reasons and you should accept that it is not your choice. Find better memories of your mother from better times. Don't keep a reminder of the worst of times.

I would get rid of it, anonymous consigment sale by a third party FFL, to someone with no knowledge of its history, to whom it would just be a neutral object.

 

[danez71]

Ive lost someone that way too. I'm sorry for your loss.

I take a different view than most.....

I hate it, but at the same time I hate the thought of it going away too. I really wish I could explain it. My brother is feeling the same way now too.

That gun was used for something terrible........ but also gave peace.


Your dad got rid of the 'terrible' just as you wanted him to.
Talk with your brother. Rid yourselves of the 'terrible', focus on the peace, and remember the good.