A Stark Look at How Gun Violence Ripped These Families Apart
Carol
Wayne
Kari
Eric
Mary
DeAndra
Lucy
Lucy's son Jordan, age 17, was shot and killed by a man in Jacksonville, Florida, who thought the music he and his friends were listening to in their SUV was too loud. “People that have not been affected by the violence, there's no way they can really understand and know the impact of it,” said Lucy, who lives in Atlanta. “It doesn't just affect the family. It affects the community and it affects the school system and it affects the church body and affects every facet of …that life that was lost. It's like, you know, a pool you throw stone in.”
Tom
Alex, Tom's son, was killed in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting when he was just 24. Not wishing to give the killer the notoriety he seeks, Tom simply refers to him as "it.”
Rose
Every day, 88 Americans are killed by gun violence. And just knowing that was enough to push Brooklyn–based photographer Joe Quint into action. He went on a mission to spread the word in the best way he knew how: by turning his lens on those left behind, and by opening his heart (and in turn, the hearts of others) to their stories.
“I want to show how the crisis extends far beyond the typical media narrative of urban violence to include domestic abuse, suicide, children being injured or killed by unsecured guns in their homes, and so many more tragic cases,” writes Quint in the artist’s statement of his new exhibit, “It Takes Us,” which opened in New York City on Thursday. Quint, whose other subjects have ranged from city street scenes to couples getting married at City Hall, has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety, a national advocacy movement for end gun violence, and plans to tour his show to other cities across the country.
“It’s a really grassroots project,” Quint, who has photographed about 40 subjects so far, tells Yahoo Parenting. He found families with stories to tell through Facebook, friends of friends, and advocacy organizations. “I basically asked around,” he says, “and unfortunately, more than a few hands went up.” Here, a preview from Quint’s haunting exhibit.