I am getting so frustrated and angry over gun violence. I have shared with you before about Mental Health Stigma. ( S1E15 & S1E16 ) Yes, people who commit acts of violence with guns to innocent communities most likely have mental health conditions or have a mental health illness. I say that, because many people who deal with mental health concerns may not have a formal diagnosis or a full-fledged illness. When I decided to speak about gun violence, I came across some articles from the perspective of parents who lost their 17 year old son to the Parkland Florida shooting in 2018. Manuel and Patricia Oliver lost their son Joaquin, alongside 16 others that horrific day on February 14th at Stoneman Douglas High School. Manuel and Patricia started a gun-control nonprofit organization  called Change The Ref. Their mission statement is "Shifting America's social response to gun violence, by uniting creativity, activism, disruptions, and education." Change The Ref uses art and non-violent organizing to advocate for gun safety regulations, and expose the effects of mass shootings. Their ultimate goal is to give the young generations a voice to advocate for change in the gun control policy. Links! https://changetheref.org  ( non-profit org - Change The Ref raises awareness about mass shootings )https://musebycl.io/tag/change-ref  ( articles & videos: Change The Ref Says: Guns Make Our Schools More Deadly Than Combat Zones and other articles & videos about gun violence )https://musebycl.io/clio-awards/manuel-oliver-speaks-his-son-joaquin-killed-parkland-moving-clio-speech ( moving speech from Manuel Oliver, representing his killed son Joaquin )www.nearestanddearestpodcast.com ( ✅ out my website 👩🏻‍💻for more episodes, show notes/links )[email protected] ( send me an email 📧 if you have any questions, suggestions or thoughts about this episode or just to say hello! 👋  if you send me your mailing address 📪, I'll send you a Nearest And Dearest Podcast vinyl sticker! ❤️)https://www.speakpipe.com/NearestAndDearestPodcast ( please leave me a recorded message! I'll send you one back! 🎤 )