My daughter Emily, was bright and beautiful.
On April 27 2012, my life changed forever. It started as a typical day. Emily was finishing her sophomore year in college, scheduled to take her last final. We had no idea the desperation she must have been feeling. Little did I know, that I would never see that brilliant smile again.
When I arrived home from work that evening, I found her.
I will never forget the stillness or the smell of her blood, there was a gentle spring breeze and it caught one of her beautiful curls and moved it across her forehead, but she did not react.
There was complete silence broken only by the sounds of my screams.
Emily had taken her life with a firearm that she found in our home. The weapon was stored with a cable lock, but she was easily able to find the keys and the ammunition. All of the information that she needed to use the gun was available on the internet.
A gun is the fastest and most effective way to take your own life. Once you pull the trigger, there is no going back.