For so many years, I’ve believed my experiences were not important, not to be talked about. They were supposed to be hidden, secret, locked away in boxes on the far reaches on a shelf in a closet. I think I was ashamed. Now, through Moms Demand Action, I know it’s important to open these dusty, hidden tightly boxes to let in the light of day, the light of healing.
In one of these boxes are memories of what happened in high school. One day, a friend, Johnny, within our circle, took one of his family’s firearms to kill himself. He was upset; his girlfriend was breaking up with him. Soon, others at our high school wanted to kill themselves also.
Lastly, if that shelf was not full enough, when in college, I was involved in a relationship with a boyfriend fraught with domestic violence. I was almost killed when he threatened me with a gun. This box has been very tightly sealed.
Gun violence is everyone’s story. If there is a way to stop another person from going through this trauma, I will fight for that!