Citizen Sponsor of Initiative 1491 Marilyn Balcerak writes in ParentMap:

June 7 was supposed to be a nice day. I planned to have lunch with James and then go golfing with Matt. But, James never arrived at the restaurant we’d agreed to meet at. He somehow found our address and went to our house.

James shot Brianna in her bed. He shot himself 20 minutes later. To this day I’m not sure what went through his mind during that time, or if James fully understood that Brianna wouldn’t somehow wake up — until, of course, she didn’t.

James should never have been able to purchase a gun. I, the person who knew him best, should have had some way to prevent him. He bought his gun legally at our local Fred Meyer — the same store where I had taught him to shop, to say “hello” to the clerks, to smile at other customers.

This November, Washington State will vote on Initiative 1491, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, which will allow family members and law enforcement to petition a court to suspend at-risk individuals’ access to firearms for up to one year. If approved, it will provide every parent and family in our state a new tool to help prevent senseless tragedies.

. . .

No mother should ever again feel powerless when she sees warning signs of violence in her own home. No father should be left defenseless in the face of looming gun violence. No family should ever have to experience what mine has.

Read her full piece here.