I grew up on the mean streets of NYC, where the cops would walk 4 across. My sister and I spent our time going to school and taking care of our mother and step-father who were both quadriplegics. We lived in a housing project that reeked of urine and trash. Going in and out of our building was always an adventure. We had to avoid light bulbs tossed at us from the upper floors, explosions in the hallways, and the drug pushers and addicts. The addicts were not too hard to avoid. They were generally stoned and unconscious, lying on the floor of the hallway. We walked over their bodies to get where we needed to go.
We both did really well in school and our mother and step-dad continually reminded us that there was only one way out of the projects. EDUCATION!
We both did get our education. My sister is a doctor and I am a lawyer. But growing up like this leaves an indelible mark on your soul. I often joke that you can take the girl out of the projects, but you can’t take the projects out of the girl. To the rest of the world I look like a successful tax attorney. From my point of view, I am still a street rat from Brooklyn. Some things never change.
During those years I went to a special high school and had to take the subway 1.5 hours each way to get to school and back. I loved my high school, but the subways of New York were dangerous back then. I was mugged many times on the subway. That is until I got a very bright idea. One of my high school classes was drafting and I learned to use a T-square, a triangle and a ruling pen. The T-square was way too big for my backpack, so I held it in my hand.
One day as we were packed like sardines in the subway car, an old smelly man sidled up way too close to me. Usually I would move around to try to get away from these guys, but that day it was too crowded. There was no place to run. So I got an idea. I slammed the guy with my T-square. Amazingly, he moved away. Quickly!!!
Hmmm, I said to myself. I have an idea. The T-square can keep these guys away so I am going to take the T-square to school with me every single day. So for the next three years I went to high school with my T-square. My mother watched me questioningly as I left the house with my back pack and T-square. Some days she would ask me “Why do you still carry the T-square?” I looked her square in the eye and lied. I said that “I never know when I might have to use it in school.” She knew I was lying. I knew I was lying. But she would always let me go. That T- square kept me safe and I was never bothered again.
I decided then and there at the ripe old age of sixteen that when I grew up I was going to live in a place where I never had to worry about defending myself. So to make a long story short, I moved to Arizona and married an engineer/firearms instructor.
Part of my job is educating anybody who will listen to me about the importance of control. Feeling safe is just one aspect of control. Owning firearms is a tremendous responsibility and another part of my job is to teach about obtaining control of our firearms. I have learned over the years that my clients with firearms are very well educated about the laws of firearms and gun safety. I have also learned that their loved ones are typically not educated at all. There is only way to insure that our firearms will be properly and safely taken care of when we are no longer able to manage them ourselves. All responsible gun owners must have a Gun Trust.
A well written Gun Trust spells out to our loved ones exactly what needs to happen with our firearms in the event of our disability or death. Gun trusts insure that our loved ones know exactly what to do with our firearms safely and legally when we can no longer manage them ourselves. A Gun Trust insures that there are no “accidental felonies” in the use and transfer of our guns and accessories. When used properly, the Gun Trust also insures that our firearms can pass responsibly to the next generation. In control there is safety.
My T-square protected me when I needed it. My Gun Trust will protect my daughter when she inherits her father’s firearms legacy. You see…what they have in common is safety and control.