AUGUST 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 17
POINT OF VIEW
GUN CONTROL
ADVOCATES’ ENDORSEMENTS MATTER
BY LADD EVERITT
During the 2018 election, Long Island
was the site of a damaging schism in
the gun control movement.
In New York’s 2nd Congressional
District race, gun control group Everytown
for Gun Safety endorsed incumbent
U.S. Rep. Pete King (R-Seaford)
despite the opposition of its grassroots
affiliate, Moms Demand Action for Gun
Sense in America (MDA). MDA volunteers
canvassed for King’s Democratic
challenger, Liuba Grechen Shirley, and
even gave her a “candidate distinction”
award for her fidelity to gun reform.
Everytown backed King because
he was cosponsoring universal
background checks legislation and
“pledged to put public safety ahead
of gun lobby priorities.” But after
being re-elected, the congressman
has failed to honor this promise.
King was just one of eight Republicans
to vote for H.R. 8, the Bipartisan
Background Checks Act of 2019, when
it passed the House in February of
this year. But he also voted for a Motion
to Recommit by U.S. Rep. Doug
Collins (R-Georgia) that calls for U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
to be notified every time an
undocumented immigrant attempts
to buy a gun. Republicans were able to
add this poison pill to H.R. 8 with the
help of 26 defecting House Democrats
who approved the MTR.
The angry reaction from the gun control
movement’s intersectional allies
was immediate, as intended by the
gun lobby. "No amount of gun-control
legislation victory can cover up the
fact that the House just passed legislation
to further criminalize our family
members and community," said Kevin
Solis of the immigrant rights group
DREAM Team Los Angeles.
The chances of Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)
shepherding a clean version of H.R.
8 to passage in his chamber were slim
to begin with. With the House version
of the bill now so tainted even
gun control groups can’t support it,
those chances are reduced to nil.
Whether it’s Liuba Grechen Shirley
or Babylon Town Councilmember
Jackie Gordon running against King
in 2020, Everytown seems poised to
back the incumbent again. That’s
unfortunate, because MDA’s LI volunteers
are clearly better judges of
how to protect their community than
Manhattan executives will ever be.
Ladd Everitt is a longtime gun
control professional and volunteer.
He has worked as director of George
Takei’s Gun Violence Provention
group One Pulse for America, director
of communications for the
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and
president of the Million Mom March
D.C. chapter.
“Long Island volunteers are clearly better
judges of how to protect their community than
Manhattan executives will ever be.”
Ten Reasons To Create An Estate Plan – NOW
Many people erroneously think that
estate plans are for someone else, not
themselves. They may rationalize that
they are too young or do not have enough
money to reap the tax benefits of a plan.
The following list clearly shows that estate
planning is for everyone, regardless of age
or net worth. Here are ten reasons why it is
important to create your estate plan now.
1. LOSS OF CAPACITY. What if
you become incompetent and
unable to manage your own affairs?
Without a plan the courts will select
the person to manage your affairs. With
a plan, you pick that person through a
comprehensive power of attorney and
health care proxy.
2. MINOR CHILDREN. Who will
raise your children if you die?
Without a plan, a court will make that
decision. With a plan, you are able to
nominate the guardian of your choice.
3.PREPARING A WILL. Who will
inherit your assets? Without a plan,
your assets pass to your heirs according
to your state’s laws of intestacy (dying
without a will). Your family members (and
perhaps not the ones you would choose)
will receive your assets without benefit of
your direction or of trust protection. With
a plan, you decide who gets your assets,
and when and how they receive them.
4. BLENDED FAMILIES. What if
your family combines more than
one marriage? Without a plan, children
from different marriages may not be
treated as you would wish. With a plan,
you determine which assets pass to your
current spouse and children from prior
marriages.
5. CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS. Without a plan, a
child with special needs risks being
disqualified from receiving Medicaid
or SSI benefits, and may have to use his
or her inheritance to pay for care. With
a plan, you can set up a supplemental
needs trust that will allow the child to
remain eligible for government benefits
while using the trust assets to pay for
non-covered ancillary expenses.
6. KEEPING ASSETS IN THE
FAMILY. Would you prefer that
your assets stay in your own family?
Without a plan, your child’s spouse may
wind up with your money if your child
passes away prematurely. If your child
divorces his or her current spouse, half
of your assets could go to the spouse.
With a plan, you can set up a trust that
ensures that your assets will stay in your
family and, for example, ultimately pass
to your grandchildren.
7. FINANCIAL SECURITY. Will
your spouse and children be able
to survive financially? Without a plan to
provide for income replacement, your
family may be unable to maintain its
current living standard. With a plan,
owning certain investment vehicles
can mean that your family will enjoy
financial security.
8.RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS. Do
you have an IRA or similar retirement
account? Without a plan, your designated
beneficiary for the retirement account
funds may not reflect your current
wishes and such designation may result
in burdensome tax consequences for
your heirs. With a plan, you can choose
the optimal beneficiary.
9.BUSINESS own OWNERSHIP. Do you
a business? Without a plan, you
cannot name a successor, thus risking
your family losing control of the business.
With a plan, you choose who will own and
control the business after your demise.
10.AVOIDING PROBATE. Without
a plan, your estate may be subject
to delays and excess fees, and your assets
will be a matter of public record. With a
plan, you can structure your affairs so that
probate can be avoided entirely if necessary.
Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the principal of
Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a law firm
that concentrates in elder law, estate planning,
Medicaid planning, guardianships, estate
administration, trusts, wills, and real estate.
The firm can be reached at 516-466-4422.
Mr. Fatoullah is also a partner advisor with
Advice Period, a wealth management firm,
and he can be reached at 424-256-7273.
By Ronald Fatoullah, Esq.
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
