Longmont, CO asked in Civil Litigation, Criminal Law and Personal Injury for Colorado

Q: My elderly mostly father in-law insists on keeping a hand-gun on him at all times in spite of 2 Drs. say he should not

Am I liable if he shoots someone by accident? He is "mostly" blind. We have tried to take them away, but it is on his person. We took several away and had the long conversation about why it is a bad idea, but he insists he must have it for safety. My wife and I manage his care and will have to cancel his in home care now that he has a gun again.

1 Lawyer Answer
Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
Answered
  • Little Neck, NY

A: A Colorado elder law attorney could probably answer your question better than a personal injury attorney. You could reach out to one and discuss your role in the person's life. In addition to your liability which you ask about, you could discuss other serious issues here. If he is "mostly blind" as you describe, it doesn't take an attorney to point out that is a dangerous combination with having a gun on the person at all times. What if a six-year old standing in the kitchen is mistaken for a mountain lion? This sounds like something beyond the nature of long conversations where a child is told why it's not good to play with matches. Good luck

Tim Akpinar

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