My most hated gun is in my house

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So very sorry for your grief. We all lose loved ones via one way or another. Do not hate the 22 but do sell/give it away. I second the recommendation that you seek counciling. Getting your feelings out will improve your life. It is not a shameful thing to talk with a professional. Often they can make tremendous differences in our lifes. Please do not keep this penned up inside you. It will fester in other areas that you do not even recognize. A wise and older pastor would be a good person to talk with. Many have counceling degrees or at least have a good grasp of how frustrations can be talked out. Praying for peace about it will help you also. Have a prayer partner to pray with you is a valuable asset to your life--not just about this issue but for many reasons. If you do not have one just PM and we can talk via E mail. Will be glad to and I check my mail twice daily.
 
Sorry to hear, what can we really say.

If it was me, I would not want it around either but I would try and turn it into something positive. I would sell it and give the money to a suicide prevention program, maybe the procedes can save somebody's life. Just a suggestion. Sorry.
 
First Off...

First off, I don't believe there are many of us who can live in your shoes. You have a tough thing going there. Forgive me for tying on my armchair shrink, but you still have those questions running around in your head like "why?" That gun allows you to keep those questions in your life. Just know that keeping the gun will not let you move on. Maybe you and Dad aren't ready to move on & get rid of those questions. We can't help you as to when you are ready to move on. Ridding yourself of that Ruger is only step one, but you and your family are going to have to decide when you are ready for step one. Seems your Dad attempted step one, but your interception gave him only half a step. Who knows, half a step may be all he was ready for...

Mostly all I can say is Good Luck & I hope you and yours find peace in the near future. Just know, life is hard on us all, so step zero, It wasn't your fault so release all guilt...
 
My mother used this very one and ended her own life 6 years ago. For some reason my dad kept it. I hate it,...
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Get rid of it. There is absolutely no sense in keeping something that brings back such bad memories and any guilt you might feel.
 
You really should sell that thing. If not you are holding on to a cause of misery for no good reason. Your hatred of that gun is not irrational at all, keeping it is. It reminds you of something horrible. Sell it and move on with your life.
 
I sold one in 5 minutes, "at the door" of a gunshow, 30 year old, for $175.00. It's worth the ride. Pick up a little 38 for yourself, with a lock. And you will feel better not having to look at it.
 
Sell it or give it away. Using the proceeds to buy flowers for her grave is a good idea.

You can ruin the thing, but you can't destroy it. There will always be something left.
 
I agree its not the rifles fault but if it bothers you that much (as well as your brother and sister) then by all means vent your frustration on it ... beat it with a hammer, burn it, take a torch to it and melt it ... do it as a group and get it out of your system.

If that doesn't give you closure, get professional counseling as someone else advised.
 
Isn't it just "funny" how all of this, all of this pain, perception, anguish, and such are all in our minds? Yet it is just all of this, that makes us human. An animal would treat an inanimate object just like any other. A human may assign value or remorse to an object, and it doesn't have to be in any way rational. But it is human. Never feel bad about being human or having such illogical feelings. No one can tell you how to respond to them, but you will find YOUR answer in time. Why not store it at a friends house, and see if an answer comes to you over time?
 
10-22

My condolences for you loss. I understand your pain.

I know that the rifle is an inanimate object. It also is the tool that ended your mother's life. You did the right thing in getting it away from your father's reach, that alone should give you, some peace of mind. Now give your father some peace of mind and remove it from your reach.

Speaking for myself, I would be inclined to cut it up in small pieces and throw into a river, to be sure that this rifle will not ever be the instrument of someone's demise. In no way am I demonizing guns here. But it would be a form of closure in that I would not have to look at the weapon ever again and think of the pain visited upon my family by its use.

As far as giving it away, that wouldn't happen. I would destroy it and buy a new one, without a negative history, to give away to a kid.

Just one man's opinion.


Mike
 
You may destroy it as a gesture, with full understanding that it is just a thing and you're destroying a symbol.

You may decide to donate it to a youth program that teaches firearms safety and introduces kids to our sport so that it gets put to good use for a good cause.

Whichever gives you and your family the most comfort is what I'd recommend.
 
I may have some insight on this...

My uncle used a Marlin (Glenfield) model 60 to end his life. The rifle was passed around the family because no one really wanted it, but no one felt it was appropriate to sell either. It hovered around until it found it's way into my father's home.

It hung around his place for a few years until it came out with the deer rifles for a cleaning. He saw me walk up the hallway with it, and he met me half way back. He snatched it from my hands and walked out the front door with it. I found him in the garage destroying it on his metal cut off saw. It was in about 4 pieces by the time I got there. I asked what he was doing, he said "mother (expletive) shot my (expletive) brother!"

The entire family was thrilled when they learned the fate of that Glenfield.

It is no more "just a tool" than you are "just a robot".

Make it go away so you never have to think about it again.
 
Get rid of it. Chuck it into a river, hurl it into a gorge, bring it to a buyback, or just sell it on gunbroker. If it makes you sad, don't hang onto it.
 
I found a fellow Marine who has a daughter he wants to teach how to shoot. It might find its way there. He knows the history and seems to think it would be fitting. I agree, but will seek my brother's opinion too. After all, he is asking the same questions right now.

Like many have pointed out I know it wasn't the gun that did the deed, but the memories are associated with it. It is those that will keep that model out of the hands of my family. No fault of the maker, or the rifle, just a poor decision by a user.
 
I posess the pistol that my best friend used to kill himself with. He was just shy of 30, we had been friends since we were in eighth grade. We were shooting and reloading partners, at least three times a week for years. When he ended his life the police were going to release the gun to them so they gave it to me.

With all that being said, its just a gun. I will never sell it because it was one of my best friends prized possessions. It was just a tool he used. He could have crashed his car or slit his wrists. My wife actually shoots it every time we go out.
 
I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I'd like to offer a slightly different perspective.

Maybe no one will ever understand why, but your Mom was suffering terribly for some reason. Maybe she could have gotten help, maybe she could have gotten better...but she was undergoing immense suffering. The 10/22 was the agent that released her from that suffering and let her find peace.

Right now, my Mom is dying of Alzheimers. It is horrifying to watch, as anyone who has seen it will tell you. If she had the capability and opportunity, I would certainly understand if she took the same route. If I'm ever diagnosed with it, I hope I have the guts not to let it kill me.

I just lost a good friend to suicide. Never a hint that anything was wrong. I wish I could bring him back. But the pistol gave him release from whatever it was, and did it quickly and mercifully.
 
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