Leesa Ross did not expect to write a book. Neither did she expect the tragedy that her family endured, a horrific and sudden death that led her to write At Close Range. Her debut memoir is the story of what happened after her son Jon died in a freak gun accident at a party. Ross unsparingly shares the complexities of grief as it ripples through the generations of her family, then chronicles how the loss of Jon has sparked a new life for her as a prominent advocate for gun safety.  Before the accident, Ross never had a motivation to consider the role that guns played in her life. Now, she revisits ways in which guns became a part of everyday life for her three sons and their friends.

Ross’s attitude towards guns is thorny. She has collectors and hunters in her family. To balance her advocacy, she joined both Moms Demand Action and the NRA. Through At Close Range, the national conversation about gun control plays out in one family’s catalyzing moment and its aftermath. However, At Close Range ultimately shows one mother’s effort to create meaning from tragedy and find a universally reasonable position and focal point: gun safety and responsible ownership.

At Close Range should be read by everyone that wants to do something about the huge issue in our country regarding guns.  I say this because the author takes a stand that the entire country could get behind regardless of whether or not they own a gun, belong to the NRA, or want every gun removed from personal ownership.  The stand is a simple one that has the potential to save hundreds of lives without removing a single gun.  Educate.  Educate the entire populace on gun safety.

This is probably the most honest memoir I have ever read.  Leesa Ross makes herself completely vulnerable as she shares her story of the death of her son.  Leesa is the mother of three boys and Jon, her oldest, died from a gun accident at the age of 23.

In the book, Lessa reveals the facts as she knows them of what actually happened as well as the emotional rollercoaster she has experienced from the day it happened until now.  Losing a child is never easy under any circumstance and even reading about the loss of a child is hard.  Leesa managed to take a huge personal tragedy and turn it into a crusade to teach gun safety to children.  Leesa is from Texas where guns are everywhere and are always a controversial subject but she is not out to take away any guns, she is trying to make sure that everyone is educated in gun safety, a worthwhile cause for sure.  She does a terrific job of taking a middle-of-the-road position on guns.

Leesa Ross is a debut author who’s transformed a tragedy into a mission for safety. After losing a son to a shooting accident, she formed Lock Arms for Life, an educational organization teaching gun safety. A Texas mother of three, she leads Lock Arms, sits on the board of Texas Gun Sense, and belongs to the NRA.