Three parents of children who died by suicide spoke to legislators on Friday, each sharing personal details of searing loss in the hopes that other lives might be saved.
For Rob Black, of Essex, his retelling came almost four years after he and his wife came to Montpelier to support a waiting period for gun purchases. The Legislature approved the measure in 2019, but Gov. Phil Scott vetoed it.
This time, Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex, elected in 2020 on a gun reform platform, sat across a long table listening quietly to her husband’s testimony along with the rest of the House Health Care Committee.
Their son Andrew, 23, had just started his dream job as a craft brewer. He bought a handgun on Dec. 6, 2018, after becoming distraught by a social media post. He left the store with it at 11:20 a.m., and by 4:30 p.m. he was dead.
“It’s about firearms. It’s about guns. But it’s also about time,” Black said. “If he would have just had a little bit of time to get himself into a different place, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you right now. I truly believe that.”
A similar message was shared by Paul Henninge, of Burlington, the husband of Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna. She died by suicide in 2014, days after turning 48, using a handgun she had purchased the day before. “Easy access seems foolish to me,” he said.
Emily Hackett-Fiske of Williston advocated for creating criminal penalties for the unsecured storage of a firearm. Her eldest son, Ryan, 12, loved to hike and appreciated a sharp haircut. He accessed an unsecured gun at another home.
She would also like to see a stronger array of supports for family members and friends after a death by suicide. Her family has benefited greatly from a peer network they found in New Hampshire, she said.
One other child under 14 died by suicide in 2020, also from a self-inflicted gunshot, Hackett-Fiske learned when she looked at the statistics provided annually by the Vermont Department of Health.
“I have never met that other family. I don’t know who they are,” she said. “My heart goes out to them because that means they may not have been getting to the resources that are available to us.”
According to those statistics, 142 Vermonters died by suicide in 2021, the largest number recorded. The average number over the past 10 years is 122 per year. The 2021 number puts Vermont’s rate of death by suicide per 100,000 people at 50% higher than that of the United States as a whole. Of those, more than half died as a result of using a firearm.
For Desiree Hawkins of St. Johnsbury, her goals are also two-fold, about accountability and more support for survivors. Her son Noah, 12, died by suicide in November after struggling in school, in part due to bullying, she said.
“I’m not saying he was perfect, but what he went through, he shouldn’t have,” Hawkins said. She would like schools to take bullying more seriously, and for there to be consequences for students who continue bullying.
Hawkins also advocated for more mental health support in the schools, a plea echoed by school officials before the House Education Committee the day before. Suicide awareness and suicide prevention work should begin in earlier grades, she said.
Legislators were frequently moved to tears during the testimony, and many appeared to feel galvanized.
“I am speaking for myself, and not for the committee, but I personally will do everything I can so you don’t have to tell this story again,” said committee chair Lori Houghton, D-Essex Junction, speaking to Rob Black. The sentiment echoed around the table.
If you are in crisis or need help for someone else, dial 988 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) or text VT to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.