I first knew Rhonda as that one mom from daycare who was both beautiful and kind, relentlessly pleasant even in the morning, even with a toddler.

Two years ago, the country knew her as one of the 58 dead in the Las Vegas shooting.

Our child care provider shared the news of Rhonda’s death early on the morning of Oct. 2, 2017. I had taken the day off and hadn’t even seen the Las Vegas shooting news yet. It was mild out; I sat in the yard and wept for her family.

There would be mini-bios of Rhonda in the national outlets and profiles of her family in local news. One line sticks with me still.

She was at the concert with her husband. When they heard gunfire, “he thought she ducked, but she didn’t get up.”

Rhonda’s death was neither the first nor the closest personal motivation for me to #EndGunViolence.

It was an important one, but just one. And I’ve had a relatively lucky, non-violent life, to be sure.

Yet U.S. policies make gun violence just that common.

CW: suicide.

It was a shock though not a surprise when my high school friend Mikee died by suicide when we were young adults. He had attempted suicide before, and easy access to a firearm from Walmart made the difference.

#GunSafety #EndGunViolence

https://www.wired.com/2003/02/no-one-asked-why-he-wanted-to-die/amp