How many more children have to die before lawmakers in Wisconsin finally listen?    Red Flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, are meant to save lives. They give families and law enforcement a way to temporarily remove firearms from someone who is in crisis and poses a danger to themselves or others. These laws are used only after going through a court process, and they are working in the states that have passed them.

So why not in Wisconsin?

The truth is devastating. It’s not because these laws don’t work. It’s not because they’re unconstitutional, they’re not. It’s not because the people don’t want them. The majority of Wisconsinites support Red Flag laws.

It’s politics.                                                                                                                               Over and over again, the Republican-controlled legislature has blocked every effort to bring this lifesaving legislation forward. They don’t even allow public hearings. Instead, they hide behind excuses about the Second Amendment and due process, while refusing to acknowledge that these laws are already protecting lives in other states — and doing so within the law.

They’re not listening to the families who are grieving. They’re listening to the gun lobby.

On April 16, 2021, Henry was taken from this world, a beautiful, kind, compassionate boy who deserved so much more. And I live every day with the agony of knowing that his death was preventable. If Wisconsin had a Red Flag law, my son might still be here. How many other mothers are carrying this same pain? How many more families will be shattered before something changes?

This should not be a partisan issue. This is not about politics. This is about giving people a way to act before it’s too late. It’s about stopping a tragedy instead of mourning one. I’m calling on Wisconsin lawmakers to pass what I call Henry’s Law, to honor my son and to protect others from suffering the same fate. No family should ever have to beg the courts to act while living in fear. No mother should have to bury her child because the law did nothing.

I will never stop fighting for my son. I will never stop saying his name. Henry deserved protection. He deserved a future. He deserved to grow up.                                             I’m asking you, from the deepest place in my heart, to stand with me. Help me turn grief into purpose. Help me turn Henry’s story into the reason someone else’s child gets to live.

Sign. Share. Speak up. Be a voice for those who no longer have one.

Let Henry’s life mean something more than tragedy. Let it be the reason Wisconsin finally changes. For Henry. For every child. For every family still hoping they’ll be heard in time.

Thank you.

Jennifer Gaspard

Henry’s mom

Founder, Henry’s Heroes