Christmas Eve nineteen years ago was the worst day of my life. It's the day my 8-year-old son, Chase, was shot and killed. Chase had gone to his cousin Brandon's house for a sleepover. Brandon was 12-years-old, and a hunter.
In Alabama, it's not uncommon for kids that age to go hunting with their friends. We'd taught Chase that he wasn't allowed to hunt unless an adult went too, so when Brandon asked Chase to go hunting that morning, he said no.
Later that morning, when Brandon's mom asked him to clean his room, he asked Chase to help. When Chase said no, Brandon took the gun from under the bed and shot Chase. The shot went through the wall into a plug where his mom was vacuuming and she was also injured. Chase succumbed to his wounds on Christmas Eve morning. Because of her injuries, we decided not to press any charges against my sister and brother in-law for what happened. We figured they had suffered enough. Brandon and my sister have never discussed Chase's death with me to this day. I felt like I was brushed off like, “Oh that was just an accident,” like my son didn't even matter. That is until I read Ashlyn Melton's story. She also lost her son at a sleepover and has been an inspirational advocate for gun violence prevention. Her story helped me decide to break my silence. I found Ashlyn on Facebook and with her help I've begun working with Brady to help others who have suffered the same tragedy that our family has been through.
If you or a loved one has been affected by gun violence, I encourage you to tell your story this holiday season. The more of us who speak up, the more we will get people to stand up, add their voices, pay attention, and work to end this epidemic of gun violence.
As a gun owner myself, I'm not trying to take away guns. But in 2018, I won't be staying silent; I will be fighting right alongside Ashlyn and Brady to educate parents about dangers of guns in the home. In fact, I have already discussed this with a coworker. Before letting her son spend the night with a friend, she asked the question if there were unlocked guns in the home. Yes, there were. Unless they were locked up she decided her son would not be spending the night with his friend. A week later, a 12-year-old friend of his shot and killed himself. That same parent then called my coworker and thanked her for asking the question about having unlocked guns in the home before letting her son spend the night.
Please join Brady now with a tax-deductible donation in Chase's memory so we can take the ASK program and other programs to new heights in the new year.
Thank you,
Rhonda Spears
Rhonda and Chase, above