A Resister In Gun Country
Vogue|May 2018

When Catherine Koebel, a scientist and Virginia mother of two, became a gun-control activist, she was met with harassment, intimidation, even a knock on her front door.

Catherine Koebel
A Resister In Gun Country

I grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, a town of winding mountain roads, beautiful national forests, the cold New River for lazy tubing on warm summer days. My dad was a professor at the university there, Virginia Tech, and every summer when the students left and the town emptied out, the quiet streets filled with ghostly echoes and I loved it. I felt like I owned the place.

When the call came about gunshots at Virginia Tech, I was a graduate student in St. Louis, grinding away at my Ph.D. in immunology. My housemate was on the line, his voice shaking, telling me to turn on the news and was my dad OK? I dialed my father’s cell phone, and he answered immediately and cheerfully, perplexed by my call. He was on a work trip, unaware of what had just happened. At that point the body count was only two confirmed dead. By nightfall the number rose to an unfathomable 32, all killed by a heavily armed student. One of the deadliest locations was the classroom my father taught in, where a young German professor and several students had been gunned down. “Life is very fragile,” my father wrote me that night in an email I’ll never forget. “Live it; enjoy it; savor it. Sometimes it is ripped from us when we are not looking.

How do you grieve a mass murder? How does a small town like Blacksburg survive it? I became obsessed with these questions and with the details of that awful day and the concentrated pain of so many deaths. I wanted every detail investigated, every mistake fixed.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of Vogue.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of Vogue.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VOGUEView All
Yes, Ayo!
Vogue US

Yes, Ayo!

There are worse places that a rising star can find themselves than at loose ends in Europe in July.

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Vogue US

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

With the upcoming Netflix series Ripley, Andrew Scott furthers his ascent, proving himself one of the most chameleonic and charming actors around.

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
Life Is a Cabaret
Vogue US

Life Is a Cabaret

Three years after the West End production made major waves, the storied musical arrives on Broadway. Adrienne Miller goes behind the scenes at the Kit Kat Club.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
Chasing Perfection
Vogue US

Chasing Perfection

Coco Gauff is as famous for her poise as she is for her tennis, and in person she cuts a regal figure. The Friday before last season's finals began in Cancún, Mexico, in late October, she and other top players attended a gala at the palatial Kempinski Hotel.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
By the Sea
Vogue US

By the Sea

Refurbished mainstays bring fresh shine to the Golden State's coast.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
Taking the Waters
Vogue US

Taking the Waters

Water sommeliers, five-figure bottles the market for old-fashioned H2O has never been stronger. Tamar Adler investigates.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2024
Porcelain Petals
Vogue US

Porcelain Petals

Korean American artist Se Oh brings botany and personal history to their work.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
Fertile Territory
Vogue US

Fertile Territory

An abundance of gardening books offers springtime inspiration.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
Girl on Fire
Vogue US

Girl on Fire

Grammy-winning Tyla is making music for Africa, and beyond.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
La Dolce & Gabbana Vita
Vogue US

La Dolce & Gabbana Vita

A new exhibition by the design duo celebrates Italy in style. By Tiziana Cardini.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2024