Sometimes something dramatic has to happen before we rethink our position in life and other important things.
My buddy and I shot together at our club for a number of years before he got seriously ill. In the last year, I'd bring him to the club every week right up until it became impossible. Sadly, he passed away just recently.
My buddy was a life-long shooter/hunter/collector of firearms. He had a number of very fine firearms, some of which were rarely shot and others that are still new-in-the-box. At his wake, I advised his son, who lived out of state, that he needed to immediately address the issue of all the handguns that were in the house with his mother, who was not licensed to possess them. Here in NY, the issue of handgun possession is a complicated matter and confiscation is common.
None of my buddy's family members own or are interested in firearms. Everything will likely be disposed of in some manner. There was plenty of time for my buddy to "thin down the herd" but no one wants to think about that. Many avid shooters probably pass away with large collections and leave their heirs to handle things that they aren't equipped to do.
Now that I've had plenty of time to think about all of this, I've come to recognize that I'm aging out of hunting to the extent that I have done in the past. No more frozen Snow Goose hunts, probably won't be climbing mountains or hiking for miles, not looking to hunt dangerous game, and won't be chasing dogs after elusive game animals. I'll probably always hunt and shoot but I'll be doing things at a more gentleman like pace.
I have also decided to not make the mistake that my buddy did and to not leave a wealth of firearms for my wife to deal with when the Lord calls me. Yup - I have started to "thin the herd". I went into the safe and pulled out several Safe Queens. As much as I loved those guns, I started to sell them. I've been working with the owner of my LGS, whom I've known for 35 years. The logistics of selling and shipping is much easier when you can work with an FFL licensed dealer. Yeah - I'll receive less money in the end but the convenience to have him do all the work/paperwork is worth it to me. I think I'll reduce the number down to just the firearms that I use all the time and let the rest go. No more need for all the heavy magnum rifles.
So for you older LRH members - have you considered "thinning the herd"? When is the right time?
And for anyone wondering - no, I'm not checking out
I'm just facing the reality of the aging process.
memtb
