12-year-old Artemis Rayford dies of a gunshot wound after writing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee not to sign a bill expanding gun rights - The Washington Post
Before winter break, 12-year-old Artemis Rayford wrote a letter to tell Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee that he opposed a new law reducing restrictions on guns. Before the end of that break, the sixth-grader would be shot and killed by one.
In his letter, Artemis told Lee (R) that his school’s anti-violence initiative with the Memphis Police Department had been discussing a law that went into effect in July, allowing people 21 and older, and military service members 18 and up, to carry a weapon without any training or permit.
Shelby County Schools did not respond to a request for comment Saturday, and it was not clear whether the letter had been sent to Lee. The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.
Early Christmas morning, he was shot and killed by a stray bullet that came from outside the Memphis home he shared with his mother and 6-year-old sister.
When Artemis’s teachers found out about his death, one of them sent his mother a photo of the letter that was addressed to Lee.
Newson said she hoped the governor would see the letter on local news. She said she wants Artemis’s letter to bring more attention to gun laws, but she doubts that it will.
Memphis had a record 346 homicides in 2021, with 31 children counted among the deceased, WREG reported. About 150 children were treated for gunshot wounds that year, according to local news outlets.
Sgt. Louis C. Brownlee, a spokesperson for the Memphis Police Department, told The Washington Post that investigators are looking into “this senseless act of violence” and that the department is asking people in the area to submit tips about what they saw that holiday night.
“How did this child [who wrote] this letter about guns end up losing his life over a gun?” she said. “What kind of coincidence is that? That’s powerful to me.”
Newson said her daughter hasn’t returned to the home where Artemis died in her arms. His blood still stains the mattress where he was sitting, playing a new video game he received for Christmas, when a bullet entered his chest and ushered in weeks of grief for his family.
His younger sister, who saw her brother take his final breath, is also “having a hard time” as she struggles to live without Artemis, Newson said.
The grandmother is trying to be the family’s support system as she contemplates a future devoid of trips to Artemis’s football practices, of seeing him perform the latest dances at family gatherings, of telling him how much she hates the smell of the Ramen noodles he loved.
Artemis was laid to rest Jan. 8, wearing a blazer with Tennessee Titans insignia and a bow tie bearing the team’s name, Newson said.
She’ll remember him as the grandson who was always active and full of energy, like the last time she saw him on Christmas Eve.
source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/22/tennessee-guns-letter/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.