PHOENIX — Both dressed in orange, Bruce and Claire Petillo stand next to each other in front of a large crowd. They're both holding onto a large photo of a young man displaying the biggest smile. That smile is one of the things the Petillo's say they'll miss most about their 15-year-old son, Christian.
"We always gave each other good hugs," Bruce said. "The last time I saw him I dropped him off at his friend's house about 5. We clasped hands and we texted about 8:45 that night. It ended with 'Love you kid,' and 'Love you too dad.'"
Two years ago, Christian was at his friend's house for a sleepover when Bruce says the boys found a gun.
"There were three teenage boys in a bedroom," Bruce said. "They had access to one of the family's guns. They were foolish teenagers, passing it around. They were doing things they should not have been doing but they should've never had access to that gun in the first place."
Christian was shot in the chest and died. His family says they have been trying to cope ever since.
"When I talk about it, it brings up every memory and every experience that happened that night," he said. "I think of that night every single day. I've told people the first year we were still in shock and that year two is the reality. We know he's not coming home but I still feel it's a nightmare I'm going to wake up from."
Even though talking about it conjures up the painful memories of that night, the Petillo's say they are doing what they can to make sure no one else will suffer from losing a loved one to an accidental shooting. It's why they were at Saturday night's 'Wear Orange' event in downtown Gilbert.
"We have the time he never had, I want to honor his life," Bruce said. "Trying to prevent the next family and next child from going through this is what drives us. Sharing his story doesn't help us personally, in fact, it hurts. But we know that by sharing this story people will ask when their child is spending the night, 'Do you have guns that are stored?'"
The event hosted nearly 200 people from Gilbert and surrounding communities. Many of the people were strangers all tied to one common thing: they each knew someone who'd been a victim of gun violence.
"It warms my heart so many people came tonight," said Arizona State Rep. Jennifer Pawlik.
Pawlik is working with the Petillo's to try and pass Christian's Law. The law would require guns in a home to be properly secured and stored. Ammunition would also need to be properly secured and stored in a separate location. During the last legislative session in Arizona, they brought the bill to lawmakers who chose not to bring it to committee.
"It's frustrating," said Pawlik. "They're opposed because they feel like their 2nd Amendment rights are being taken away and surely that's not our intention. Our intention is meant to keep kids safe. I would say with my legislative colleagues, take the meeting, read the e-mail, and hear what these people have to say. Listen to their stories and maybe open your hearts."
"Safe storage is the gold standard in reducing gun violence, suicides, homicides," Bruce said. "Legislation is difficult to pass, especially in this environment. But this is changing hearts. We want to share these stories and make sure they understand these are peoples' children and loved ones dying from gun violence and we're here carrying that burden."
Bruce says although legislators didn't want to hear the bill, it's not stopping them from trying again. He says they will work with lawmakers to introduce it again during the upcoming Legislative Session. He also says they won't stop because it's what Christian would want.
"There's not a day that goes by where we're not missing him," Bruce said. "We're trying to live our lives for him because the time he lost is ours. There are days where I feel like I'm not doing enough but we're doing what we can right now. We're still healing, the wounds are still fresh, they're never going to go away. There are too many families who are learning to live with this type of pain."
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