Many years ago, when I was but a teenager, I lost my first boyfriend to suicide. He shot and killed himself with his brother-in-law’s gun. I believe he was a police officer, and he had left it in his apartment when he was out shopping with his then nine-year-old son. They came home to find a horrific scene. I hate to think of how that must have scarred that young boy.
My boyfriend was a troubled soul, and the year we were together was a roller-coaster of good and bad times. I broke up with him, left him, and shortly after that, he ended his life. He was only 24 years old.
I was too young to live through such a tragedy. That started me on a long path of guilty self-destructive behavior. To this day, I carry those scars. Gun violence has a ripple effect. Gun laws save lives.