End Family Fire

I was in Maryland with my fiancée, Heather. On that day we had an argument, not unlike any other that you would have with a significant other. All of the things I had been experiencing felt like too much. I snapped. I had a gun. I was going to kill myself—and likely her as well.

This story discusses Veteran Suicide, Gun Suicide, and Safe Storage.

My son Ricky loved old soul singers and looking out for the elderly in our apartment complex. He also had his struggles with depression. One day, my phone rang and it was his fiancée screaming. Ricky had shot himself.

This story discusses Gun Suicide, Kids in the Home, and Safe Storage.

I actually had an incident where somebody was trying to kick down my front door. People have asked me how much longer did it take to get that gun because I had it locked away. And I said realistically, an extra two seconds.

This story discusses Kids in the Home and Safe Storage.

In 2017, I was a First Sergeant in the Air Force. My brother Adam was serving in the Marine Corps at that time as a Lance Corporal. Unfortunately, that year I lost my brother to gun suicide.

This story discusses Veteran Suicide, Gun Suicide, and Safe Storage.

Growing up a country girl, I’ve always been around guns, and after serving 20 years in the Marine Corps as a Gunnery Sergeant, artillery became my heart. I can’t imagine living without my guns now, but it wasn’t until getting married and having kids that I realized how important safe gun storage is.

This story discusses Kids in the Home and Safe Storage.

As a young lawyer, I prosecuted some misdemeanors involving illegal gun use. The criminologist that I worked with as a prosecutor explained to me that the overwhelming majority of gun accidents involve a loaded gun left unsecured in the home. This really stuck with me.

This story discusses Safe Storage.

A few years ago, a Veteran friend of mine took his own life with a gun. It caused me to take a step back and think about how that could have happened. To this day, I still think about what didn’t take place that could have prevented this tragedy.

This story discusses Veteran Suicide, Gun Suicide, and Safe Storage.

June 5, 1989: When I got home, I was looking for my video games to play. I knew where they were hidden since I was such a curious little kid. But, instead of the video games, I found my dad’s gun.

This story discusses Unintentional Shootings, Kids in the Home, and Safe Storage.

My youngest daughter’s name was Emily. She inherited her father’s brown eyes and his cheerful smile. That smile could hide even the deepest pain. On April 27, 2012, Emily was a sophomore in college.

This story discusses Gun Suicide and Safe Storage.

My grandfather was my hero. As someone who served in our military, he exemplified so many values that I really admired. My grandfather’s death wasn’t something that was inevitable. In the end, he had access to his firearms when he was in a moment of crisis and the situation ended really, really badly.

This story discusses Veteran Suicide, Gun Suicide, and Safe Storage.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you a lot about my mom because she was just 27 years old when she completed suicide with a gun. I was not even two years old, so I don't remember anything about her. A bullet stole her from me.

This story discusses Gun Suicide and Safe Storage.

The first friend I lost by suicide, his name was Jasper. And he was my gaming partner in crime. He was very compassionate and just cared for everyone like they were part of his family. And then the second was one of my friends from my youth group, Tori. She was very bright and she had a great personality.

This story discusses Gun Suicide and Safe Storage.

My suicide attempt had to do with 9/11. I was working at the National Guard Bureau back in 2001. On the day the planes hit, my boss actually had come in late. Had he not, I wouldn’t be here today, because I would’ve been right where the plane was.

This story discusses Gun Suicide and Safe Storage.

My dad was a lot of fun to hang out with, and he was my good friend. I lost him in 2006. He had previously attempted suicide by other means and was able to get treatment, but this final time, he used a friend’s gun. He found the gun in a bedroom drawer, unsecured.

This story discusses Gun Suicide and Safe Storage.

We are Jahara and Lara; an active-duty military family. We ensure our firearms are always stored securely in a locked safe that is only accessible to us.

This story discusses Active-Duty Military, Kids in the Home, and Safe Storage.