Impacted By Gun Violence - Hope In The Face Of Adversity

Nathan Hochhalter is a multiple time gun violence survivor, having been a student at Columbine HS on April 20, 1999, and also the brother of another student who was seriously wounded that on that tragic day. Six months after the tragedy at Columbine, Nathan’s Mother, who had been struggling with mental illness, died by gun suicide. Nathan shares how he ended up finding healing and a new purpose for himself by enlisting in the United States Navy in the years following his family tragedies. He has since gotten married to his wonderful wife Gina. Together, they advocate for gun violence prevention in the state of Colorado.

Julie Ort was 13 years old when she was shot by a man who had come out of his front doorway with a gun. She and her friends had been at a sleepover, and decided to toilet paper someone's tree in the neighborhood in the middle of the night as a harmless prank to have some fun. Unfortunately, the homeowner was awoke and believed someone was damaging his property. He started firing his gun at the young girls, shooting Julie and causing her a spinal cord injury which has disabled her for life.

Coni Sanders is one of the daughters of teacher Dave Sanders, who was murdered at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Coni explains her unique viewpoint after her father’s death, and how she came to find purpose in working with violent offenders in the mental health field.

Episode 1 includes my personal story of how my family members and I became gun violence survivors. This episode is told in a story telling format and does not include a guest as other episodes will.