Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#016 Precious Lives: New Discoveries Years After A Mother's Suicide

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published April 28, 2015 at 11:07 AM CDT

Khary Penebaker, who volunteers with Everytown For Gun Safety and Mom's Demand Action, says his mother's suicide hinged on access to a gun.

A family photo taken before Khary Penebaker's (middle) mother, Joyce Allene Penebaker (left) committed suicide with a gun.

By day, KharyPenebaker works in the roofing business. On nights and weekends, he meets with gun violence survivors.

Penebaker volunteers with Everytown for Gun Safety and Mom’s Demand Action, groups that advocate for laws intended to prevent gun violence.

His story starts in September of 1978; he was 17 months old. That's the year his mother committed suicide.

If you have a story you would like to share, please visit preciouslivesproject.org.