Jerame dreamed of following in his brother’s footsteps, playing football at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek, in the Eastern Suburbs of Pittsburgh. But that is a dream he will not get to fulfill because someone chose not to secure their guns.

Jerame was playing in an alleyway between houses with friends just two blocks from the Arena when a gun that a 13-year-old friend took from his home, which was not stored securely, went off. Tragically, avoidably, Jerame died from his injuries.

The plague of gun violence found Cathy and her family that day. Cathy has since directed her grief into helping others experiencing the unimaginable tragedy of losing a child. She founded HOOP, Helping Out Our People in Braddock, PA.

It’s too easy for kids to access guns and for tragic accidents to happen. Cathy knows this, and too many other parents and communities do, too. If 6.7 million children live in homes with unsecured, firearms in the country, we need to enforce common-sense laws to deter these preventable accidents from happening.

We are all safer when guns are stored unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition. Accidents are reduced, and lives will be saved.

26 states, including Virginia, already have Secure Storage laws; Pennsylvania should be next. The lives of other sons and daughters depend on it.

Share this story with your representatives today and demand action on Secure Storage legislation.