Elderly man faces criminal charges after using inherited gun to defend self at home

A 77-year-old Massachusetts man will be arraigned Monday after he used a gun to defend himself from two men over the weekend. This took place in his own home.

When neighbors heard several gunshots and a victim yelling for help, police were called to the residence of Revere homeowner Robert Distefano, according to WCVB.com.

After engaging in a fight, a 21-year-old guest was ejected from a party early Saturday held at Distefano’s house, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney told WCVB News.

However, the young man returned to the party later with his 50-year-old stepfather, and the two began damaging the property with rocks and a baseball bat. when they began approaching the homeowner, Distefano fired a weapon he’d inherited, wounding both.

Both men received non-life threatening injuries, although the younger individual’s were considered critical.

Because Distefano used a deceased relative’s handgun, he was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm within a home, a misdemeanor carrying no jail time. Arraignment is scheduled for Monday.

Although he won’t face incarceration, it nonetheless constitutes a hassle for the 77-year-old who was only trying to defend himself against two much-younger men.

(h/t: Guns Save Lives)