Seven years ago today, Paul Kemp got word from his sister that there had been a shooting at the Clackamas Town Center Mall in Oregon.
Hours later, they found out that his sister’s husband, Steve, had been shot and killed. Read Paul’s #MomentsThatSurvive story here.
Rachel Dawson’s children Luke, 9, and Bree, 5, were shot and killed by her abusive husband before he turned the gun on himself.
“Our story will make a difference, and I continue my one life as three, living with them in spirit.”
Read her #MomentsThatSurvive story. 💜
Katie Browder’s sister, Sarah, was shot and killed by her husband of one year. Now, Katie wears orange to honor her sister and the 52 American women shot and killed by intimate partners every month. #WearOrange
Read more about Sarah in Katie’s #MomentsThatSurvive story.
Stephen Venable & Tiffany Starr remember their fathers, who were both football coaches killed by gun violence. See our Moments That Survive Memory Wall here.
“After struggling with chronic pain management for several years, my dad took his life with a gun. He was 68. My dad was intelligent and caring. He loved life and had many friends. Because he had access to a gun, his suicide attempt was fatal. He wasn’t there to walk my sister down the aisle when she got married a couple of years later. He wasn’t there to attend any of his grandchildren’s college graduations. He isn’t there to talk to when I need his sage advice.
Sunday, I used tools that my dad gave me when I was a freshman in college to install a new doorbell. I am proud that my dad raised a capable daughter who can do her own handyman work, but I’m sad every time I look at the toolbox he gave me and remember that his life ended too soon.” - Yvonne, gun violence survivor
Read the stories of other gun violence survivors on our #MomentsThatSurvive Memory Wall and add your own at momentsthatsurvive.org
Listen to gun violence survivors Regina Thompson-Jenkins and Glenda Torres-Scott talk about their sons, Tre’Devon Lane and Benjamin Davila, who were both shot and killed.
Then go to the #MomentsThatSurvive Memory Wall and share your story: momentsthatsurvive.org.
By early February, more Americans are killed with guns than are killed in other high-income nations in an entire year. And even more are shot and injured, threatened with a gun, or witness an act of gun violence.
Gun violence in any form can leave a lasting impact — whether someone has witnessed an act of gun violence, been threatened or wounded with a gun, or had someone they cared for wounded or killed with a gun. Hearing someone else’s story may help more Americans recognize their own personal connection and the power of their voice.
That’s why, as part of the inaugural Gun Violence Survivors Week, we’re launching #MomentsThatSurvive to lift up survivor stories and shine a spotlight on the countless ways gun violence affects the lives of Americans. Go to momentsthatsurvive.org in our bio to see the #MomentsThatSurvive Memory Wall and submit your own story.