Grandma's Gun
Self defense recommendations for an elderly woman
An elderly friend of mine was spooked by a nearby murder, and general unrest in the world. She wants to acquire and learn how to shoot a firearm so that she can protect herself if need be.
Some notes:
She lives in a state with Constitutional Carry.
She rarely leaves the house, so she doesn't need to carry concealed.
She wants to store the gun near her bed so that if she hears an intruder, she can easily access it.
She lives with her husband.
All of her children / grandchildren are now adults, so there's little risk of children finding the gun.
She has little gun experience.
Her hand strength isn't great.
She's cognitively sharp.
She lives in the country with plenty of land, so she can practice at her place.
I put together a gun and accessories that I think would work for her. I’ve divided them up into "Required" items and "Nice to have" items.
Note, I’m no gun expert myself. These recommendations are what I’ve gleaned largely from reading online forums.
Required
Item: PSA Dagger
Price: $360.00
Recommended features:
Threaded barrel
Optics ready slide cuts
Suppressor height sites
Trijicom RMR
Suppressor height sites
Wheaton arms barrel
Wheaton arms flat competition trigger
Item: Glock 19 OEM magazine, 15 Round, 9 mm
Price: $25
Rationale: Pre-load magazines for quick usage
Item: Ps Quick Draw Gun Magnet Blk,Grey,7.6×4.5×1.3"
Brand: PS Products
Price: $20
Rationale: Store gun near bed
Item: RAZOR Electronic Quad Muff w/ Bluetooth
Price: $75
Rationale: Ear protection
Item: Walker's Unisex Clearview Glasses
Price: $11
Rationale: Eye protection
Item: TR-1 Streamlight
Price: $135
Rationale: Light needed to distinguish friend from foe
Item: Glock spead loader
Price: $20
Rationale: Make it easier to load magazines
Item: Range bag
Price: $20.00
Rationale: Carry gun and accessories to and from range
Nice to have
Item: PSA Dagger OWB Mid Ride UBL/Qls Level 2 Duty holster
Price: $150
Rationale: holster
Item: Glock 19 Compatible CoolFire Trainer Barrel
Price: $400
Rationale: CO2 dry fire barrel allows one to practice indoors with same recoil as when firing with bullets.
Item: PT Dueling Tree (Heavy Duty) Price: $600
Rationale: self resetting targets
Item: Apex Carbine Conversion Kit for PSA Dagger (COMPACT & FULL)
Price: $500
Rationale: improves accuracy
Item: Advantage Arms 22LR Conversion Kit for PSA Dagger W/ 2-15 Round Mags & Bag
Price: $60
Rationale: allows one to practice with 22lr bullets, which are less expensive.
Lockbox…. In the event of grandchildren or other children (or untrained adults) visiting, you don’t want to have them accidentally find the gun.