Ten years ago our 3-year-old cousin Pharrell picked up an unattended weapon on Christmas Eve 2008, and the gun went off, shooting himself in the face, killing him. His other young siblings and father were present to witness the carnage and have been forever traumatized by it. It has affected our lives every Christmas Eve since that horrible day. Also in 2007, my cousin Jeff intentionally shot himself in the mouth with a rifle. Although he initially survived, he died later on from a blood infection caused by the bullet, which was not able to be removed. This affected me because our family has had mental health issues, and I worry about history repeating itself. I have dedicated my life to helping others affected by gun violence.