This may go long. I’m having some doubts about continuing to provide firearms access to someone who may never be able to have their own and would appreciate hearing other’s thoughts.
Backstory (going to be nondescript to avoid providing too much identifiable info):
There’s a person in my social circle who likes to shoot and I’m currently their sole “access” to firearms. I introduced them to shooting, I’ve taken them to the range a bunch and even helped them participate in a .22lr action competition, kinda like IDPA including steel knockdown and star targets.
The good:
They really seem to enjoy shooting, they’re very attentive and follow directions well at the range, they’ve learned to handle pistols and long guns safely and competently, they’re a decent shot and they were actually competitive in that .22lr comp.
The not so good:
They have a seizure disorder and they have to take crazy amounts of strong drugs daily to suppress certain modes of brain activity to reduce the chance of seizures. There’s all kinds of side effects from the drugs including heavy mood swings, poor impulse control and poor anger management which I’ve witnessed multiple times. They’re very behind in social maturity for their age and it’s possible that they may never be able to fully be on their own and independent.
While I’m happy to take them shooting, if they asked me to be a reference for a FID/P2P/PTC I’d say “no”. In my experiences they’ve had everything under control while being closely supervised at the range however I would not be comfortable living in the same house with them and them having their own firearm(s).
My dilemma is this - knowing all the above, do I continue to take them shooting? I’ve been having thoughts that stoking their interest in firearms may be counter-productive and I’m starting to feel that maybe I should “fade out”.
Reason being, you can’t verify where they are in the taking of the necessary drugs daily. If by chance, the day you take them to the range, they missed some dosages, and decide to go “postal” at the range… then what…
I would caution providing deadly “equipment” around someone who needs those large dosages of drugs to remain “normal”… it could be a ticking time bomb, with some devastating results.
From your description it sounds like they are already a prohibited person. By taking them to the range and lending them a gun, you are breaking the law and leaving yourself open to a massive liability suit if anything goes wrong.
You mention taking them to matches and that they have little impulse control and mood swings. What could go wrong if a match official makes a call that they don’t like?
Stop giving them a free ride. If they can pass all the background checks, then continue teaching them. If they cannot pass, whether you act as a reference or not, you should not be endangering them, yourself, or anyone else at the range when you go.
In case you’re wondering, I am not speaking from theory here. Someone I love very much has suffered psychological issues and was involuntarily committed for a few weeks. I can no longer take them to the range.
From my understanding of the federal prohibitions they are not prohibited federally. They’d probably fail a NJ firearms application for their medical condition if they disclosed it, however.
Based on my interactions with them at the range and the one match they participated in they’ve been nothing but attentive and compliant. At home with their family is a different story.
Perhaps it’s just a “comfort and newness” thing, and if they started to consider me as “family” then the “guard” would come down.
To err on the side of caution is much better than… I did it a million times and nothing happened…
The Hunter only has to be lucky once, the prey has to be lucky everyday…