The Seattle Times describes the family tragedy that pushed Marilyn Balcerak, citizen sponsor of Initiative 1491, into action:

Marilyn Balcerak feared her son James might someday kill himself — and she tried in many ways to get him help.

But before the 23-year-old turned a Beretta pistol on himself in June 2015, James fatally shot his stepsister, 21-year-old Brianna Smith, at the family’s home in Auburn.

In a note he left behind, James cited his difficulty fitting into the world due to autism. Over the years, the family tried to help him through therapy, psychiatrists and medication for depression and anxiety, Balcerak said.

James flourished in a special-education program in high school — and found solace in playing piano and hiking. But in the years after graduation, he struggled.

. . .

James Balcerak had intelligence and ambition — he wanted to become a nurse anesthesiologist, his mother said — but battled frustration over how to navigate social cues.

Marilyn Balcerak remembers her calls and questions as she watched him struggle: One time, she dialed a suicide hotline asking for advice about her son. Another time, she called a hospital to ask about getting James committed.

In July 2014, she and James got into an argument, after which he mentioned suicide. Marilyn called 911, she said, and when officers responded, she asked about how she could keep weapons away from James.

An officer recommended a protection order, which, if James violated, could have kept weapons away from him. But at that time, a protection order would have meant throwing James out of their house.

“I couldn’t do that,” Marilyn said.

Read the full report here.