Shannon's Law (Arizona) - Shannon Smith

Shannon Smith

Shannon Smith had been an award-winning athlete and honor student, and had graduated from the eighth grade a few weeks prior to her death. While she stood in her backyard talking on the telephone with a friend, a stray bullet hit her in her head, causing instant death. Smith's death sparked a furor among Arizona residents. Her funeral was attended by approximately 1,300 mourners. A monument, made with melted metal from confiscated firearms, was raised in her honor at her middle school by her classmates and friends. Tens of thousands of dollars in donations for the monument were primarily raised by Shannon's friends and classmates holding car washes.

After being informed by the police that random discharge of firearms was a simple misdemeanor, Smith's parents resolved to change the laws and ran a statewide campaign advocating harsher punishment for random shooters. Their campaign gained support from such people as then-Governor Jane Dee Hull. In April 2000, "Shannon's law" was passed.