Danyette
My name is Joe Quint and I’m a documentary photographer and filmmaker in New York City.
Many years ago, right after a mass shooting near the University of California at Santa Barbara, I noticed that the then-current issue of People Magazine had a big cover story about a celebrity wedding but just a small mention in the upper right corner about the tragedy. The headline read ‘Another school shooting: How could this happen - again?’ I was struck by both the naivety and irresponsibility of that language. ‘How could it not happen again?’ was my reaction. Why should we be surprised when - despite gains made in recent years by the gun violence prevention movement and a few brave souls in Congress - there had yet to be enough of a shift in our national consciousness?
I realized that action was needed by more than just those personally affected by gun violence - and that I could no longer pay lip service to the urgency of reducing the over 43,000 senseless and preventable deaths that occur every year. So I reached out to my small universe to see if anyone I knew had been impacted and, sure enough, more than a few hands went up.
And so began It Takes Us. Stories of Gun Violence from Across America - a long-term project and series of traveling exhibits about the impact of gun violence on survivors, family members of victims, and people who experience vicarious trauma as a result. By shining a light on these brave people and by allowing viewers to hopefully see their own family in the story of other families, I intend to create action that will lead to meaningful change.
Dre and Deandra Despite being a nonverbal quadriplegic, Dre dances and laughs a lot - which gives his family a semblance of peace. “I’ll defend to the end that my son was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. He asked me, ‘Mom, can I please go? My friends are going.’”
Khayree After being shot a number of times, Khayree doesn’t like to go outside very much.
Jane Jane believes that one of the hardest parts of getting through the trauma she’s experienced as a result of domestic abuse and the suicide by gun deaths of her husband and son, is realizing that she is deserving of a better life.
Joe and his father Gregory On a New Year’s Eve many years ago, Joe was struck in the head by a bullet that was shot as part of “celebratory gunfire.” After undergoing multiple surgeries, the bullet remains… causing paralysis, double vision, and migraines.
Luis Luis will be the first to admit that he was making “grown man choices” at the age of 14. Despite being all but paralyzed, he’s excited to provide his newborn son with the kind of positive male influence that he never experienced. He named the boy Prince because he wants him to grow up to be a king.
Ian If not for two police officers performing a “scoop and run” and taking him to the Temple University trauma center, Ian would’ve died moments later. He has their names tattooed on his chest.
Sara The first time Sara was allowed to stay in the car by herself when her mother went shopping, she was carjacked and forced on her knees before getting shot in the head.
John Two of John’s three children were present during the mass shooting at the Noblesville West Middle School. As a former Marine who fought in combat zones, he doesn’t want his kids to experience that trauma in school.
Clai On the night Clai was shot by her stepfather, her mother said “I think he’s really going to do it tonight” and then hid in the closet. Clai was 13 years old.
Lucy After her son Jordan was shot and killed at a gas station in Jacksonville, FL, by a man objecting to the music he was playing in his car, Lucy McBath became a fierce gun control activist and was elected to the US House of Representatives, where she continues to represent Georgia’s 6th District.
Hannah “My sister Rachel was a behavioral therapist at Sandy Hook Elementary and she excelled in her field. With how gifted Rachel was I have no doubt that she could have helped him. The shooter should have had someone like Rachel in his life; everything would have been different.”
Marilyn Ryan, Marilyn’s son, was killed by the brother of his girlfriend. While the two families were enjoying Thanksgiving dinner, Ryan’s body was in the garage - rolled into a mattress.
Natasha and Christopher Natasha’s son Akeal, 14, was shot and killed on his way home from a party in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Despite bars, stores, and bodegas that were all open at the time of the shooting, no one has stepped forward to identify the shooter.
Oxsana and Peter “Mom, please don’t cry. He is okay. Nicholas is okay. He’s an angel now. He can fly. He’s okay, you know.”
Sisters Their brother Troy was shot once during a robbery and was killed. Their uncle Atiff was shot 15 times and died several months afterwards from the related complications.
Sandy The mother of one of the victims of the Aurora, CO movie theater shooting, Sandy says, “I mean, if people only knew… if they only knew what it’s like to be in our shoes for even a day, this problem would be gone.”
Stephanie Stephanie’s four-year-old daughter was near her twin brother when she was struck and killed by a stray bullet fired on wide-open Federal land. Given the vast and completely unregulated area, it’s impossible to locate the shooter.
Names Unknown Layering tragedy upon tragedy, many family members of the Pulse Nightclub massacre only found out their children were gay when they found out they were dead.
J. and Tonya I asked J. how he’s getting along ever since his brother was killed by his half-brother and he said “I have a very, very, very strong family.”
Khary When asked where he wanted to be photographed, Khary chose the shore of Lake Michigan - as it represents the vastness of the impact of his mother’s suicide by gun.
Amber “He put the gun to the roof of his mouth and pulled the trigger. I always knew that he’d make me watch it.”
Diane Diane’s daughter struggled with mental illness her whole life and she believes that “the gun she used to end her life was easier to get than the medicine needed to save her life.”
Eddie After attempting to end his life three times over the years - in part due to the childhood trauma of seeing his mother murdered, Eddie ultimately found a way to end his life.
Katrina “We all took our lives to the tree before my mother took her life by the tree. We had so many experiences here. Important life moments. The moment she decided to move to New Orleans was here. Weddings, funerals, suicides happened here. This is where our community connects.”
Sarah* Sarah (name changed) still reels from the gun suicide of her mother and she often engages in self-destructive behavior.
David Shortly before ending his life with a gun, David’s son called 911 to tell them where police could find his body - so his parents wouldn’t worry.
Untold Stories.
More than 43,000 people are killed every year by an act of gun violence, while hundreds more with physical injuries show up in emergency rooms daily. One statistic that never gets reported, because it’s unknowable, is the number of people who experience vicarious trauma from their connection to this epidemic. From witnesses and clergy to law enforcement officers and first responders, their stories rarely get told. Sometimes it’s because of the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality of the mass media. Other times, it’s because these men and women don’t feel entitled to their stories, even though their wounds run just as deep.
Eric As a chaplain at a major medical center, Eric has seen over 100 gunshot injuries. He channels his vicarious trauma into writing poetry.
Eric V. When one of Eric’s parolees commits a violation, he questions what he - as an “armed social worker” - could’ve done differently.
Mary Mary shows the spot where she shielded and saved the life of her daughter when a gunman opened fire at a “Congress on Your Corner” constituent event for Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in Tucson, AZ. She was shot three times in the process.
Karen and Amy After being present during a mass shooting in a Colorado movie theater, Karen and Amy show their resolve by continuing to use the theater and sitting in the very same seats.
Name Unknown This woman was attending a vigil outside of Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. “My daughter came out to me when she was 15… and my best worst fear for her was that people would be unkind. My worst worst fear is this.”
Ross As a prosecutor in Indianapolis, Ross feels that the “weight of human misery” he witnesses day in and day out is often too much to bear.
Neicy “I lost a lot of family members to gun violence. I lost my little cousin, I lost my Auntie. Her name was Pumpkin. We got her little son. He’s six. He lost his mom at a young age and they told him early and it affects him too. And I lost my uncle. He got shot.”
Gershan “People should know that once you take a life, you don’t get it back. Just fight or leave it alone. You don’t always have to kill.”
Chris “Bullets don’t have eyes.”
Promise “What people don’t know is the gun violence is used today because of hatred. People hate on their own race. You can’t never have something everybody wants because someone is going to be plotting on you.”
Danyette
Eric
Jackson
Jane
The Swanson Family
For exhibition or partnerships, press inquiries, or general questions about the project, please use the form at right.
If you’ve been impacted by gun violence and would like to be part of this project, please send along your information and I will get back to you promptly.