Lesley Hu's Story: Honoring Pierce’s Legacy
How one mother turned the unimaginable loss of her son into a movement to help keep other kids and families safe.
Lesley Hu is the founder of Pierce’s Pledge. Her 9-year-old son, Pierce, was shot and killed during a custody dispute with his father. Lesley now advocates for temporary offsite firearm storage, encouraging law professionals and others to take the pledge and start important conversations about firearm access during moments of crisis to help ensure families stay safe.
We spoke with Lesley about Pierce’s legacy, the importance of temporary offsite firearm storage, and what she wants other families to know about firearm access during moments of crisis.
1. Tell us about Pierce.
Pierce is my son. He was a mama’s boy who loved his friends, his school, skiing, traveling, making people laugh, and eating ice cream. On January 13, 2021, at 9 years old, Pierce was shot and killed by his father, my ex-husband, during a custody dispute. My ex-husband then turned the gun on himself.
That day, my world shattered. I never imagined I would have to learn to live in a world without my only child.
I turned the worst day of my life into my life’s work, because no other family should have to live through this. I want people to know Pierce for the boy he was – funny, joyful, loving – and not just for the tragedy that took him from us.
2. What is Pierce’s Pledge and how does it help keep Pierce’s spirit alive?
Pierce’s Pledge is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness about firearm safety; encourage family law professionals to address firearm access and storage with their clients during divorce, separation, or child custody disputes; and connect people with resources for secure firearm storage outside the home. When emotions are high and circumstances are unpredictable, access to a firearm can turn a moment of crisis into an irreversible tragedy. This is why I feel so strongly about raising awareness of secure, offsite storage during a crisis, and encouraging family law professionals to help start these lifesaving conversations.
After Pierce was killed, my friend and family law attorney, Monica Mazzei, was so deeply affected that she decided to require all her new clients to disclose any firearms in the home and secure them in a third-party location as a condition of representation. It was a simple but powerful step toward keeping kids and families safe, and that’s really how Pierce’s Pledge started. We began by empowering family law professionals to help keep children safe during custody negotiations and have since expanded our resources to support anyone seeking information about secure, offsite firearm storage during moments of crisis. I believe we all have a role to play in keeping kids and families safe.
3. How can we prevent these types of tragedies?
Gun injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. This shouldn’t be our reality, and I can’t bear the thought of another family losing their child in a tragedy that could have been prevented. We can do better, and we can keep kids, families, and communities safer by normalizing important, lifesaving conversations.
Starting a conversation about gun safety is one thing we can all do to help keep kids and families safe, and talking about temporary offsite firearm storage, especially during moments of transition or possible crisis, can help prevent gun injuries and deaths. We can all agree that someone in crisis, who may be at risk of harming themselves or others, shouldn't have access to a firearm.
4. What can starting a conversation about gun safety look like?
You don’t need to wait for a moment of crisis to start a lifesaving conversation about gun safety. Instead, we can normalize proactively having these conversations to help keep everyone safe.
If you’re a family law professional, ask about firearm access and secure, offsite storage during divorce, separation, and child custody disputes. Questions like “Do you or people in your home have access to firearms?” can open up the conversation. Remember to focus on how your concern is keeping people safe; offsite storage can help prevent a temporary crisis from becoming a permanent tragedy.
If you’re a parent, ask other adults if there are any unlocked guns in the home before your child goes over to a friend’s house. Parents ask questions about safety all the time – helmets, allergies, car seats – and talking about secure gun storage is no different. And, if you’re a gun owner, you can let other parents and guests know that you have firearms in your home and that they are all stored securely.
5. What do you want people to remember about the work you do? What do you want people to remember about Pierce?
I started Pierce’s Pledge for the legacy of my son, for the legacy of all children lost in this manner, and for all of our kids.
I did not get to say goodbye to Pierce and I will never get to hold his hand again. But if we normalize conversations about gun safety, and if we empower our friends, lawyers, doctors, and families with resources, then we can help save lives.
I don’t want my son to be remembered only by how he died. I want him to be remembered as a boy who saves lives. We cannot change what happened to Pierce, but together, we can work to prevent another family from enduring this unimaginable loss. So, if you’re unsure how to start the conversation, think of Pierce. He’ll give you the courage.
