No Do-Overs: Protecting Kids from Accessing Guns

Our son Christian died in Arizona on September 5, 2021 from an unintentional gunshot while staying the night at a friend’s house. This has been a devastating loss to our family, as we know Christian’s death was preventable, if only the gun had been properly secured.

My wife Claire and I have decided that we can’t stand idly by when we know guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Children are innocent, curious, impetuous, and loved. They are developing and learning. They will make mistakes. They will get do-overs…until they don’t. This is why we have started the No Do-Overs organization (www.nodoovers.org), which is designed to help save lives through education, advocacy, and legislation that protects and prevents children and teenagers from gaining unauthorized and unsupervised access to guns.

We are currently focused on passing Christian’s Law here in Arizona, Ethan’s Law nationally, and the Bennie Hargrove Act in New Mexico. We are also interested in supporting additional legislation that will help prevent and protect children and teens from gaining unauthorized and unsupervised access to firearms.

Beyond legislation, No Do-Overs will advocate for those who no longer have a voice and provide a megaphone for those left behind. We will share stories from around the country that highlight the everyday impact and cost when we do not protect children and teens from having unauthorized access to guns. We will memorialize the stories of children lost and the families left behind. We will help educate families about safe and secure storage and how it saves lives. We will discuss the mental health epidemic and its impact on gun violence and suicide. We will lobby the entertainment industries to better model safe storage and gun safety. We will challenge the technology industry to develop more cost-effective solutions that help prevent unauthorized firearms access.

Access to and availability of guns are significant challenges for a country that has 120 guns for every 100 people. It will take a multi-faceted approach to have the desired impact that saves the most lives possible. There’s a saying that when you know better, you do better. When it comes to protecting children and teens from accessing guns in the home, we know better. It’s time to do better!

We invite you to partner with us on this mission to help save lives by donating to No Do-Overs. We look forward to working with you to help limit children and teens’ access to unsecured guns and to make sure they get the do-overs in life they deserve as they continue to grow and learn.