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.
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.
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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