Changing the
Conversation on
Gun Violence
60% of gun deaths in America are suicides. Khary knows this personally.
This is personal.
"My mother Joyce died by suicide when I was 20 months old. A gun was involved. That's not a talking point for me. It's my life."
Khary grew up without his mother. He spent decades learning to carry that absence, then learning to use it. Not as a wound to display, but as a reason to stay in the fight when it gets hard.
Gun violence is not abstract to him. It is the reason he ran for Congress. The reason he served on the Everytown Wisconsin committee. The reason he stands at podiums and says out loud what most people only say in private: that suicide is the majority of gun deaths, and that silence is killing people.
Photo of Khary
The reality of gun violence in America
Most conversations focus on mass shootings. The majority of gun deaths are something else entirely.
Americans die by firearm suicide each year
Source: CDC
of all gun deaths are suicides, not homicides
Source: CDC
of firearm suicide attempts are fatal
Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
What Khary does
Speaks
Keynotes that reframe gun violence beyond mass shootings. Helping audiences understand that suicide is the majority of gun deaths, and that prevention is possible.
Advocates
Everytown for Gun Safety Wisconsin Fellow. Working with legislators, community leaders, and families to advance common-sense prevention policies.
Connects
Using personal story to give permission for others to talk about mental health, loss, and the stigma that keeps people silent.
Roles and affiliations
Khary has served in formal advocacy and public service roles for more than a decade.
Everytown for Gun Safety
Wisconsin Fellow
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin C4
Board President, 2021-2024
Democratic National Committee
DNC Representative for Wisconsin, 2017-2023
U.S. Congress, Wisconsin's 5th District
Congressional candidate, 2016
If you need support
These organizations provide immediate help and long-term resources for gun violence prevention and mental health crisis support.
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 anytime. Free, confidential support 24/7 for people in distress.
Call or Text 988Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling via text message.
Text HOME to 741741American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Research, education, and advocacy to understand and prevent suicide.
Visit afsp.orgEverytown for Gun Safety
The largest gun violence prevention organization in America. Khary serves as a Wisconsin Fellow.
Visit everytown.orgWant Khary to speak about gun violence prevention at your event?
This topic is personal. That's what makes it powerful. Audiences leave with a different understanding of the numbers, and what they can do about them.
Book This Topic