What is Lock Arms for Life?
Based on her own family tragedy, Leesa Ross is out to change the narrative about firearms. Leesa lost her oldest son to a senseless handgun accident in 2009. Since then, she has been utterly committed to finding a way to prevent gun accidents from injuring or killing unintended victims.
What makes Leesa’s call for change different is that she and her family are firearms enthusiasts. They are not against legally owned rifles and handguns. What she’s against is irresponsible and unsafe storage. That is why she has launched the initiative Lock Arms for Life. When not in use, firearms should be safely stored for everyone’s safety. The Lock Arms for Life campaign took off in an evening at the University of Texas SafeHorns event. Hundreds of college students and their friends were there to learn how to make their campuses safer.
Your college campus, church group, community center or high school can host a Lock Arms for Life event. Leesa is available for speaking at Texas colleges and universities, appearing at summits around public health and safety like those organized by hospitals, as well as other events. Contact Leesa to schedule an appearance and get your Lock Arms for Life shirts as part of the day.
Why not join Leesa in supporting the Second Amendment as well as securing guns for safety? We can save lives together. Make responsibility an essential part of ownership.
Leesa Ross
Coming in 2020:
At Close Range
A Memoir of Tragedy and Advocacy
By Leesa Ross
About At Close Range
Owning a gun is more than a right. It’s a responsibility that demands safety awareness. That awareness must embrace both love and safety. You can always give one, but never be completely certain about the other.
I want this book to influence everyday firearm storage practices. By showing the advocacy through the story of a family, At Close Range can lead families to adopt safer ownership and practices. Even a tragic death from a gun accident, like the one in my family, can propel positive advocacy — and taking action is the best way to make a preventable death count for something that can save the lives of others.
I want firearm storage talks to become common among owners of guns, as well as families and friends. The lessons about responsible ownership should be taught in schools, in churches, and at dinner tables. Accountability about ownership should be as essential as ammunition for a weapon. Guns protect lives, and so does gun safety. Owning a handgun for protection means that those guns are more likely to be stored loaded — so safer practices are crucial to unintended use and accidental deaths.
We can leave a legacy to our younger generations with safety practices that are wired directly into gun ownership.
—Leesa Ross
Raising Awareness on Injury Prevention Day
I wrote this as an Op-Ed for the Austin American Statesman, even making a few follow up calls to an editor. I checked the paper today and couldn't find the article. So, not wanting to waste the opportunity to talk about an important safety event, here's the article....
Leslie’s Story: A tragedy that could have been prevented
A Mother’s Story: Why We Need Lethal Violence Protective Orders My son Lex started buying guns on his 18th birthday. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was eight, and in his teens became increasingly reclusive and isolated. Lex refused to be evaluated, so we did not...
Gun Locks and Masks
I don't think gun locks and masks are the same things, but I understand why people are thinking of them that way. Many of my gun safety advocate friends were shocked when I admitted I didn't support face masks. And several of them replied with, "It's like a lock on a...
Genie makes safety magic at Wiley’s Gun Shop
Last weekend my mother-in-law came for a visit. She's in her eighties and lives in Tyler, Texas. Genie doesn't like to drive alone anymore so she brought her friend Regina with her. She also gets nervous about driving through...
Safety gets new spotlight from Bright by Text
I've met several milestones in the recent months with Lock Arms for Life. I've incorporated, filed for nonprofit status, and registered my trademark. I also approved a new site plan for my website. Those are just the internal...
Staying Safe
A few weeks ago I was interviewed for an article in the Reform Austin News. This is a tough time we live in and staying safe seems to be the trending message. While we practice safety for a pandemic we must not forget about other safety habits. Gun tragedies happen...
Book sales down, gun sales up
I've learned that launching a book in the middle of a pandemic isn't going to be easy. My publishing team is working from home with no access to the things on their office computers. Amazon has put book orders on the back-burner, marketing budgets have shrunk, and...
Austin turns out to support Lock Arms for Life
Over the long holiday weekend I attended two events. First, on Saturday I was at the Women's MarchATX2020 on the Capitol grounds talking to crowds about gun safety. Then, that following Monday you could find me at the Martin Luther King Celebration chatting up those...
Texas permits weapons group to control gun safety money
Taxpayer-funded gun locks are free to Texans — unless they have the wrong ‘political agenda’ San Antonio Express-News By Allie Morris AUSTIN — Eight years after her son died from an accidental shooting in 2009, Leesa Ross began preaching safe firearm storage at...
Gun Locks Part 2: Just one at a time
Last time out, I leaned that Austin police are permitting a shooting sports foundation to control the distribution of gun locks. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is in charge, according to APD policy. But the governor has said all Texas citizens can get gun...
Austin Police are off target on Gun Lock Safety
The police officer didn't have much time for her call to me, even though she was the one who called. That's how calls can go when they prevent things from happening. She was standing in the way of safety, though, letting Austin police policy prevent guns from being...
Longhorns everywhere love safety
All around the UT campus, I found support for gun safety this week. High schoolers at AISD Back the Future event took free t-shirts, pens and safety swag while they pledged responsibility for firearms in their lives. Bevo strutted my shirt at the National Night Out on...
Gun safety is public service, too
I had a revelation today after reading a story about a child who drowned. I already know how much courage it takes to talk about tragic events. It's always encouraging to see people who are willing to share theirs. I read a friend’s Facebook post where there was a...
The best answer on Trauma Day
She was a sophomore at Westlake High and had a question for me. "So, I have a relative who owns a gun, and I know they don't keep it secured. Can you give me any suggestions on how I talk to them or what I can say?" It was an important question that I get quite often....
Using the fast line for Advocacy Day
Gun safety is looking like a top priority at this year's Texas legislative session. That’s what the representative who I talked with said yesterday. A Texas law against negligence is a step forward that North Carolina could then follow. I wish that state had that law...
Going on camera for gun safety
It was thrilling but frightening to think I was going to be interviewed for a documentary. I've never done anything like that, and to be honest I'm camera shy. Years ago, my husband Randy was doing TV spots for the Nissan dealership where he was GM, including a...
Citizen Police Academy
Does gun safety advocacy come with perks? Well, I don't get heath insurance coverage, gym memberships or even a paycheck, but I do work with some of Austin's finest police officers—an Assistant Police Chief who's attended every gun safety event I've ever participated...
A Hearing for All: Safe Storage
It was a day I will never forget. I've had days like that before. I was nervous, but that was nothing new. I used to play tennis and captained a team, before gun safety consumed my life. I knew that tennis and nerves go hand-in-hand. It didn't matter how many lessons...
A club with no more members
Like lots of women, I love Nancy Drew's stories. She's an investigator, something I admire. I like Diane Sawyer too, and solving mysteries. How the NRA might be of any help to safer gun ownership may seem like an unsolvable mystery—but Nancy didn't give up. Think of...
Why can’t I be member of NRA and Mom’s Demand Action?
Do you remember the peacock story from my last blog? Did you know that only males are actually peacocks? They're not born with fancy feathers, they grow them as they get older. They can fly. I knew the last one because I've seen that peacock on the rooftop of a...
A peacock, safety, and the NRA
With the news of another school shooting, my heart is heavy again. It is horrific that these acts of violence continue to plague our children. I know for me I will take better aim on my gun safety advocacy. I'm doing what I can for another group of victims, the ones...
My first Official Sweepstakes Entry from the NRA
The NRA wants to give me guns as sweepstakes prize. They do have a prize in the sweepstakes I would like to have, but it's probably not for the reasons they think. Last week in my mail was a sweepstakes envelope from the NRA. I stared at the glossy emblazoned mailer...
Public Speaking 101: a lesson about saving lives
I knew at some point along my journey of gun safety that I'd be speaking publicly. That petrified me, even though I recently took a workshop to prepare for speaking. The class was giving me platform-building tools, something writers need. Oh, did I mention that I...
Taking aim at a gun-friendly world
Clamp on your holsters, people. This is my new gun safety rant. It's gonna be a little like target practice. My hairstylist has a daughter who's a high school senior, and like many parents of graduating students, they're starting to visit college campuses. I was...
Safety demands more action from this mom
The bullet landed in a bed frame in the college dorm. I heard about that shot at close range during my first meeting with Moms Demand Action, another one of the ways I'm stretching myself to tell my story. Like the woman telling about the dorm accident, it was my...
Paying My Price of Discomfort
Have you ever signed up to learn something—and a day before you're about to start the class you realize what a totally insane idea it was? Yeah? My stroke of genius was the day I signed up for the public speaking workshop. I am super awkward on stage, in front of a...
Empty Nester?
I did it! I finally completed my memoir, At Close Range. Days later I was in South Padre, visiting friends. The first day we all went down to the beach to catch some rays. As we walked toward the shoreline we noticed black tar in the sand. I could see it floating in...
A Forgiving Message from the scene of the Crime
Do you ever wonder if the universe is sending you a message? That’s how I felt returning to the scene of the crime. I was at ease, for once, the first time I felt that way in North Carolina since Jon died. Boone was no longer a place like Death Valley. Keeping my...
Wish me luck, Southern-style
Get prepared to pitch, author Leesa Ross says, as she works up the courage to tell her story to agents in Austin
Rally: part 2
At the #wearorange rally we’re laughing at the silly orange costume pieces. Susan replaces the orange tutu and funny little party hat on the table next to the band of orange hair that I was wearing. We walk away talking. Susan’s going to post a picture of us wearing...