I grew up in a home where the presence of a gun greatly agitated the domestic violence we were enduring. I lived in constant fear that one day my stepfather would stop threatening with it and actually take my mom’s life.
One night while they were in a horrible fight, my stepdad called 911. He started screaming on the phone for my mom to “put the gun down,” and then he told them she was pointing the gun at him and my two-year-old brother. At that moment, the gun was still in their bedroom—it was not in her hands, nor had it ever been. I knew with all my heart he was setting up the situation for him to look justified in hurting her.
I called 911, too, trying to tell them that he was lying. I begged them to believe me so the police wouldn’t show up thinking my mom was armed. I didn’t know if they would hurt her or if they would come in time to stop him from hurting her.
It was a terrifying experience that I still have nightmares about. Violent, mentally ill people should not have access to guns.