In a Jan. 23 shooting in Hempfield, three innocent lives were ended far too soon, resulting in part from easy access to a gun (“4 found dead in suspected Hempfield murder-suicide; victims include children ages 1, 5,” Jan. 24, TribLive). Karen Swarner and her two beautiful children, Evelyn and Connor, apparently were killed by Paul Swarner in a murder-suicide. Research tells us access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide.
The news has reported this marks the second murder-suicide in Westmoreland County since December 2024.
Fifty-six percent of the gun deaths in Pennsylvania are firearm suicides, and 69% of female domestic violence victims are killed with a gun. And firearms are the leading cause of death of children in the United States. Please, securely store your firearms. If you are in crisis please call 988, 24 hours a day — someone is there to help you.
Unfortunately, I know this will not be the last story like this we will hear about in Pennsylvania. Securely storing your firearms will save lives. Look out for your neighbors and friends, and support one another. Support this family in an unimaginable time of profound shock and grief.
My mother was killed by gun violence nearly 11 years ago, and the grief does not go away. I am going to honor Karen, Evelyn and Connor’s lives by working to stop the next preventable tragedy in our community.
Gina Pelusi
Upper St. Clair