The Stigma of Family Gun Violence
I’ve been a gun control activist and victim/survivor advocate for nearly two decades. I got involved in gun reform and victim’s services because on September 29, 2003, my aunt Shelley Joseph-Kordell was murdered in a courthouse shooting at the Hennepin County Government Center. The shooter, who I’ll call “Jane,” also shot and wounded Shelley’s friend, Rick. Jane purchased a gun for $60 through a private sale at a Minnesota Gun Show, with no background check or paperwork required by state law.
I’ve told this story and talked about what Shelley meant to me hundreds of times…and that’s usually where my story ends. I talk about the shooter in distant, unfamiliar terms. Just some person who stalked and harassed Shelley, left dead animals on her doorstep. I never mention that we are related to the murderer. It’s time to start talking about family violence and shed the stigma.
Shelley’s murderer was a distant cousin. I’d only met Jane once in my life, but there were whispers. I’d heard other members of my family say that the shooter was born “different and combative.” I knew she’d been a thief, liar, and rambled incessantly about any perceived slight against her. My family would later learn that this was psychopathy, but there was no helping Jane and psychopathy was not treatable. Jane’s parents and siblings were forced to flee to the other side of the country…
