[ [link removed] ]Moms Demand Action
John–

Telling my family's story of tragedy, gun violence, and generational
trauma helps me put my grief to rest and shine a light on what needs to
change in our country.

[ [link removed] ]Moms Demand Volunteers, including survivor Regina Griego in the middle,
stand with New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham. I'm in the middle, standing with New Mexico Governor Lujan
Grisham.

A little over a decade ago, my 15-year-old nephew shot and killed my
brother, his wife, and three of their children at their home in
Albuquerque. He had a psychotic break and had access to several unsecured
firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Could I have done more? How did this happen? These questions still run
through my head.

But I know this for certain: So many systems failed us, including easy
access to guns, and led to needless deaths.

When the shooting happened, I was leading an incredible career following a
PhD in engineering—not an easy feat when you come from a poor Hispanic
background in New Mexico. But in the wake of the shooting, I had to shift
my focus to saving lives because my nephew shouldn't have had access to
deadly weapons. And I knew our gun laws needed to help keep guns out of
kids' hands.

So I became a gun safety advocate with Moms Demand Action—and began to
connect with other survivors in the Everytown Survivor Network.

We need better systems for everyday people who are saddled with trauma
passed through generations, with little access to economic and mental
health resources. Stronger gun laws are one of the tools to help support
the millions of Americans in my family's situation.

We've fought hard to pass some of those gun laws: Our New Mexico Moms and
Students Demand Action chapter helped pass laws to make gun owners
responsible if a child takes the gun from an unsecured home, to require a
seven-day waiting period for purchasing a gun, and more.

Still, there's so much more we can do at the state level, and that's true
in all fifty of them.

[ [link removed] ]Heart and circle shaped descansos made out of red flowers, paint, and
fabric. I put these descansos in my brother's house to help put my
grief to rest.

Volunteering with Moms Demand Action and telling my story is healing. The
memoir I wrote was a descanso for me. A descanso is a traditional way of
putting something to rest in Hispanic culture, usually when a loved one
dies. You see descansos on roads throughout New Mexico where there is a
cross or other markers with flowers and decorations. Telling my story is
my way of pinning the burden of the story to the page.

Thank you for listening and for your commitment to a future free from gun
violence,

Regina Griego
She/Her/Hers
Everytown Survivor Network

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Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots volunteer network of
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. As a movement of Americans fighting for
common-sense gun policies, we depend on contributions from supporters like you
to fund important work to reduce gun violence.

Contributions to Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund are not tax-deductible as
a charitable contribution or as a business expense under IRC Section 162(e). A
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