Darrell

Darrell has been shot twice in his life. Growing up his family had firearms, “but they were very rarely used. My dad would go hunting or whatever. But we very rarely used them. I didn’t own my first gun until I joined the police department.” As an officer Darrell carried a gun and was required to take regular firearm operation and safety trainings. Out on patrol one evening Darrell pulled over a “suspicious vehicle so to speak. They got out. They pulled a gun. I got shot in the leg. And they drove off. I was in the hospital for a while. And the recovery was extremely long. We never found out who had done it.”  Once he was healed, Darrell left the police department and joined the military where he continued to receive firearm training and bought his first pistol for personal use.  

Darrell’s second firearm injury came years later when he was wounded in a targeted attack on the front porch of his home. “I opened up the front door and I reached with my hand to open up my screen door and I got shot. It went through my hand and into my stomach.” Darrell was able to call for help and was flown to the hospital where he underwent several surgeries. Although he has theories about who attacked him and why, investigators were never able to find the assailant. Darrell has struggled with both the physical and mental recovery from his attack and injury. “It was traumatic just getting shot again and not knowing. You know, you’re just kind of terrified. You don’t know if somebody’s going to come around or not come around. It’s caused me to be leery of everyone.”

Darrell has since moved away from the home where he was attacked and although he no longer uses a firearm on the job, he does keep guns in the house. Despite the trauma of his attack and injuries, Darrell’s attitude toward gun use and storage has not changed. “After I got out of the police department and after I got out of military, my pistol has been locked up...My firearm is for home protection.”