by Dennis Brislawn
Several months back I was invited to an elderly client’s home. I mentioned to her two sons that I was doing gun trusts and they asked me to explain. So I told them a little about my project and we talked about some gun stuff, target shooting, and what guns meant in our families growing up.
A couple of days later the boys mentioned that their mom, 92 years old, wanted to invite me over for coffee to show me some guns that she owned. I jumped at the chance to go “walkabout” rather than stay in the office…
What I saw was surprising, although maybe in retrospect it should not have been.
I got to the house, and was welcomed in. Armed with a hot, tasty cup of coffee (black as a banker’s heart, the way it should be presented!), I was escorted to a back bedroom where mom was waiting. There, proudly displayed on her bed, were a number of well-used firearms in excellent condition. Some looked kind of old… (pictures below are not hers but give you an idea).
Each one had a story. Each one was the property of a great grandparent or grandparent, had been lovingly cared for and passed won in the family. In fact, these rifles were not only antiques… family members carried them West and homesteaded in Washington with them in the late 1800 or so. One was a Sharps rifle with a big flip-up sight… and her grandma used it to get vittles for the pot.
Legacy? Sure. We talked for about an hour and a half, and the boys (my age, late 50′s) were so obviously proud of these firearms. Both boys told stories of shooting with their dad, mom and other family members, of hunting and camping trips and visits to the old family homestead in Eastern Washington. I told them about visiting two of my family’s homesteads, one in Sprague, Washington and one a couple of miles south of Omak, Washington. Mom told me about her mom, and her grandma the pioneer. In fact, her mother homesteaded a parcel of land as a girl with her mother I understand.
At the end of the day, I felt a deep connection with my client family. I was an honored insider into a piece of their heritage and their lives. That was very precious to me. Was this about business? I suppose, but that was not the takeaway value for me. The experience, insight, and shared feelings were, and are. I can tell you, if that family needs something from me, they are on my “special attention” list… because it’s personal in a way it wasn’t before.
Guns have history… and tell our history. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Remember, Granny DOES have a gun. And knows how to use it.
