PITTSBURGH — Outside of that one time going to target practice with some friends while he was in medical school, the first time David picked up a gun to learn how to use it — this time for protection — was five years ago, when he went to a range a few weeks after Robert Bowers walked into the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 people who had gathered to worship not far from David’s home in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
“Handling a gun, let alone owning one, was not anything I had ever considered doing in my life,” said David, who asked that his full name not be used for fear of personal safety of himself and his family.
Once a taboo thought
“The ‘tradition’ of gun ownership, historically, in my family was virtually non-existent. Perhaps one of my grandfathers, who both served in World War II, had one — if they did, though, it was never discussed,” explained David, 49, who grew up on the Main Line of Philadelphia.
Under the keen eye of a trained instructor, who was also Jewish, David was surprised at how comfortable he was handling a gun. As someone who grew up in a community in which owning guns was unthinkable, he was surprised at how many of his friends also owned guns.
By Salena Zito
