A Living Epilogue: The Story Behind Jessi’s Law

A deep disappointment for me amid the passage of five gun-safety laws in 2013 was the failure of Colorado Senate Bill 196, titled the Assault Weapon Responsibility Act. I introduced it with Representative Rhonda Fields. The bill advanced through the Senate but ultimately did not become law. It was laid over and quietly died in the legislative process.

The consequences of failing to pass that law were far-reaching.  Thirteen years later, long after the headlines faded, the echoes of it haven’t. What began as a conflict has become a study in resilience, and sometimes fragility, of our democratic system.  Among those deeply affected were Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, whose 24-year-old daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was killed in the Aurora Theater shooting on July 20, 2012.

Lonnie and Sandy Phillips with their daughter, Jessi.

At the time, existing Colorado law, combined with federal protections, shielded firearms manufacturers from liability when their products were used in shootings. The Phillipses faced an additional devastating blow. They were denied their day in court and instead ordered to pay $203,000 in legal costs, as the Colorado statute at the time required. On top of the immeasurable loss of their daughter, this financial penalty stripped them of stability and drove them into bankruptcy.

The late US Congressman John Lewis said, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Lonnie and Sandy Phillips have done exactly that—remaining steadfast, principled, and unwilling to stop where the law once failed them.

This living epilogue acknowledges that the story continues.
​The Colorado law that once granted immunity to the gun industry was finally undone through new legislation. In October 2023, that immunity was repealed. The bill was named Jessi’s Law, in honor of their daughter. Today, Colorado stands among the top 10 states with the strongest gun safety laws in the nation.

In an email dated September 29, 2025, Lonnie Phillips reflected:
“We must recognize that the NRA held a dominant position in the Colorado General Assembly and had bad gun bills lined up for Bill Owens' signature, but fate dealt them a cruel hand with Columbine. When that watershed moment happened, John began his uphill battle in earnest against the gun lobby, which had already built a thirteen-year head start as a powerful political force in its war against gun safety, driven by profit. In 1977, after an internal coup at the NRA's annual meeting in Philadelphia, the firearms industry took control of the NRA. [Ten years after John spearheaded efforts in the State Legislature], Sandy and I experienced our first victory…
 
“Of course, the big victory for us was Jessi's Law. That was a ten-year struggle to repeal the Colorado law that caused our bankruptcy. It took significant support from Giffords' lobbyist and the efforts of some brave, determined legislators to overturn Colorado's immunity law. Still, it felt fantastic to deliver a blow to the firearms industry and restore the right of gun violence survivors to hold a negligent firearms industry accountable for its actions.
 
“A critical reason for our success that isn't mentioned in John's [book] is that the opposition couldn't accuse us of using our daughter's death to benefit ourselves financially. Our lawsuit aimed to promote public safety. We wanted them to revise their careless sales practices and verify ages before selling thousands of rounds of armor-piercing ammunition online.
 
“We got into this fight without realizing that we were David and they were Goliath. However, we must remember how that story ends. We can do hard things. We are not stopping until we repeal the national PLCAA (the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, federal gun industry immunity law).”
 
As Lonnie and Sandy learned firsthand, surviving family and friends need significant help navigating the new reality they face. Through their organization “Survivors Empowered, “they were recognized by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper as “Champions for Change” in 2023. This annual award features profiles of trailblazers or changemakers. It’s awarded to people working to solve problems, challenge the status quo, or improve others’ lives in meaningful ways.

The Phillips’s courage and persistence are reminders that some stories refuse to close neatly. Even the laws that fail leave their mark. And sometimes, what looks like defeat becomes the soil for future victories, rooted in grief, grown in resilience, and carried forward by those who refuse to stop telling the truth.
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Jessi’s Law is a hard-earned reminder that tragedy can become a legacy. Out of grief grew a safeguard that might spare others the same path.  We honor that by recognizing the weight of our voices when laws are shaped.  Every citizen’s voice can carry memory forward into protection for the future. ​

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