My ex-husband, during one of his many black-out drunk moments, held a gun to one of my son’s heads in front of my parents. My son was only nine years old at the time. After we separated, he started breaking into my house while armed. Ultimately, I got a restraining order; however, when the judge ordered him to relinquish his firearms, he turned in just one despite having an arsenal. With laws as they were in Maryland at the time, there were no additional options.
I had always been a strong supporter of common-sense gun legislation, but it was this experience that finally galvanized me to dive headfirst into the gun safety movement and join the Maryland Chapter of Moms Demand Action.
I understand firsthand that domestic abusers far too often use firearms to coerce and terrorize their victims. I share my story because ending the Charleston loophole, enacting extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws and passing legislation to strengthen domestic violence protections are so important.