LaAsia Ballard keeps her son's memory close to her. Jett Ballard was 14 years old. He was a Madison County football player with a promising future.His mother said tragedy struck last when he was the victim of an accidental shoot ing in Estill County.She sat holding onto a blanket printed with pictures of Jett throughout his life."He was a lovable baby brother and. He was a proud big brother, so he was a great kid," Ballard said.Ballard is now channeling her grief into a call to action."What I want to change is the fact that we don't have basic gun laws here in Kentucky," she said.Ballard's story is not as uncommon as you may think. LEX 18 analyzed the latest CDC cause of death data and found between 2019 and 2023, shooting deaths among kids and teens 17 years old and younger grew by 49%.Upon closer look, self-inflicted shooting deaths among youth increased 14%. Meanwhile, accidental shootings in the age group increased 43% and homicides increased 73%."It doesn't make sense," Ballard said about the trend."It's disappointing. It makes me wonder, does anybody really care about children?," she added. Ballard is pushing for change locally, from advocacy with local organizations to petitions. "I want more education when it comes around ownership of firearms and making sure that each family is safe," she said. One of those educational pushes is through the "Be SMART" program, which encourages families to take steps to keep firearms securely stored."With ownership, when they have them, have them. But they need an education and more accountability," she said.Today, Ballard and her family are just a few of the thousands remembering kids and teens whose lives were taken too soon. ...read more read less