'His fate was sealed': A father advocates for gun safety

Frank Cimorelli is grieving out loud. About two years ago, Cimorelli — a former Johnson City Cardinals player who later played for the St. Louis Cardinals — was just starting to share his love of baseball with his son Camden. Cam, 24, was asking questions about his father's career. Just "a lot of things" that a dad wants to share with his son, Frank said. In addition to his love for baseball, Cam enjoyed skateboarding and spending time with his loved ones. He had also struggled with mental health issues for more than a decade. In December 2022, he used a gun legally purchased in the family's home state of Wisconsin to attempt suicide. He died six weeks later from complications from the attempt. {{tncms-inline alignment="right" id="c8a3a6d1-cb0b-439c-b7a9-356c6a2c80e7" type="relcontent"}} Now, Frank said, he's going to have to hold onto a lot of the stories he was supposed to share. Most people who attempt suicide do not die unless they use a gun. Research shows that only 4% of suicide attempts not involving a firearm are successful. About 90% of suicide attempts with a gun end in death."It is the most lethal means," said Cori Johnson, Northeast regional director of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. Over the past two years, Frank has processed Cam's suicide through advocacy. He believes that better support for mental health issues and gun safety laws could have saved his son. And he hopes he can help someone else by speaking out. "It's worth it if there's a dad out there that can maybe not lose his son, because I'm not getting mine back," he said. "That's about as devastating as it gets." Cam's story Cam's mental health issues started at 10 years old and worsened from there. By 14, he was talking about suicide. "It doesn't take many times for your child to threaten suicide before you start to believe him," Frank said. "For the next 10 years, it was not an 'if' it was going to happen, it was more of like a 'when' it was going to happen." As Cam grew up, Frank said his "spirals" became deeper and darker. He would sometimes have hallucinations and had a documented history of stays at a local mental health facility. When Cam called his dad to tell him he had bought a gun, Frank's heart dropped into his stomach. "His fate was sealed," he said. Cam didn't die the day he attempted suicide. After several weeks in one hospital for surgeries and recovery, his family brought him to the mental health facility he had frequented for years. His doctor discharged him against the family's wishes. Within 24 hours, he was dead. For Frank, the issue has several factors. He believes that the doctors and hospital irresponsibly discharged his son. He also believes it wrong that someone with documented mental health issues can purchase a gun. "It was so predictable and there was no obstacles in his way," Frank said. "I have a hard time with that." Advocating for better gun safety The issue of mental health and firearm ownership has been debated across the nation for years. Some states have extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), or red flag laws. These allow judges and police to temporarily take away a person's firearms if they're at risk of harming themselves or others. Wisconsin doesn't have a red flag law. Neither does Tennessee. In 2024, Gov. Bill Lee even signed legislation prohibiting local governments from enforcing red flag laws. Frank thinks the provision wouldn't have helped his son. Instead, he believes people who are suicidal shouldn't be able to buy guns in the first place. {{tncms-asset alignment="center" app="editorial" id="1d0f4959-6ac4-52ea-9054-5d2c03989d8e" width="half"}} Even if his state did have the law, Frank added, Cam wasn't sick all the time. A judge or police officer might not have seen a need to take away his firearms. Plus, approaching Cam during one of his spirals could have been dangerous. "What makes somebody so sure that he couldn't have pointed that gun at somebody else?" he said. In Tennessee, suicide is the leading manner of firearm death. While the rates vary across the state, there are an average of 52 firearm suicides a year in each congressional district. To promote gun safety in the state, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network supports following safe storage recommendations for firearms and other means of suicide. Gun locks, separate storage of ammunition and other methods can prevent both death by suicide and accidental firearm death. "If we can delay someone's attempt, postpone someone's attempt, or make their attempt less lethal, they're actually very likely to survive in the long term," said Bryan Barks, the network's Southeast regional director. "That extra time in space really can be life saving." The organization does not advocate for or against owning firearms, Johnson added. Frank also isn't against owning firearms — in fact, he thinks gun owners are part of the solution. "But I think being a responsible gun owner now, today, means more than just you store yours safely," he added. "It has to also be about knowing not everybody should have a gun."