The VA Tells the Truth About Guns. The NRA Can't Handle It.

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44. This is purely anecdotal, but

I've been an R.N. on a V.A. dementia unit for the past 11 years. The issue of firearms in the home causing trouble for the patients or their families has never arisen in my experience. As to the exact reason for that, I'm not sure. Perhaps the family removes or otherwise secures the weapons, if any, long before the individual ever has any contact with the system. Perhaps by the time a dementia sufferer reaches the point that their judgement is so impaired that they may become violent, they don't even recognize a firearm for what it is or understand its function. I do know the nursing database we collect on admissions contains no questions about firearms. Neither does the history collected by the physician. In my career I don't recall any reports of firearm-related violence on the part of patients after the onset of dementia. No self injury. No shooting at others. That goes for other weapons as well. Most of the violence I've ever seen or heard of involving dementia sufferers involves striking, scratching, pushing people down, and the like. The use of weapons, even makeshift ones, is extremely rare.

That is not to say it doesn't happen. In all probability I'm confident it does. I'm just observing, from my experience, it has not been a notable problem in the lives of my patients or their families.