i like to tell stories

i shoot competitive sporting clays, this means i own a shotgun. this means i travel with it, which means i fly with it. i live in nyc, so this means jfk, lga. i have flown with my firearm 19 times.

one of the creepiest feelings i have ever had is walking into an airport carrying a firearm in one hand and ammunition in the other.

this is legal. this happens thousands of time a day, everywhere in america.

it is easier to travel with a firearm then it is my photographic gear.

to say i am anal about how to do this is an understatement. i have a permit, i have the registration. i follow the law here, the tightest in the country, to the point that the laws themselves make no sense. i have had to instruct counter agents and tsa agents on the proper procedures.

today i walked from one side of midtown to the other, up madison ave and back again to get a repair made. i did this carrying my firearm as required by law.

if at any point i make a mistake in these procedures in the city or at an aiport, i go to jail, for a very long time.

these are weird experiences.

my gun has never killed or hurt any living creature and as long as i own it never will. well except the time i dropped the gun/case on my foot and broke a few of my toes, that hurt, a lot.