At approximately 6:40 a.m. on August 26, 2015, WDBJ-7 reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were covering a story at Smith Mountain Lake on the local chamber of commerce.

Seconds later, both were gunned down by a former colleague on live television.

“For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father’s Fight for Gun Safety,” a book about his daughter’s life and legacy, was published by Andy Parker in March 2016.

“This book is about so much more than death. It’s about Alison’s life. I wanted people to know more about her. I wanted them to know how accomplished she was, how she touched others who shared their stories with me. Stories I’d never heard that still makes my heart melt,” said Parker before adding, “I know Alison adored Adam. He was so well-liked in the community, a hometown Salem boy. He was always more than willing to play her foil in numerous stories they did. They were a magical team.”

On April 27, Parker, accompanied by his wife Barbara and son Drew, visited the Glenvar Library to speak about the writing process of his book and his daughter’s legacy. The event was organized by branch manager Randi Wines and Senior Library Assistant Sarah Vecere.

One of Andy’s favorite passages in the book reads as follows: “What was it like being Alison’s dad? It was getting up each day with a heart bursting with pride. When I was running for Henry County’s Board of Supervisors just before she was killed, I only halfway joked that my campaign slogan was ‘I’m Alison’s dad.’ She was like ‘Dad, you can’t do that!! I could get in trouble.’ She thought I was serious. She was ethical to a fault. I said, ‘Scooter, relax. I’m not having yard signs made. And people think it’s funny when I joke about it with them. I promise not to get you in trouble.’”

A 2018 Public Policy Polling survey found that over 80 percent of gun owners support expanded background checks on sales of all firearms. Wouldn’t it just make sense, one attendee asked, if a background check occurred before the purchase of any gun?

“I’m often asked what I’d like to see happen that would make a difference? Pretty simple stuff, really,” Parker said in response. “I talk about universal background checks, closing loopholes for flea market and internet sales, extreme risk protective orders, banning assault-style weapons and limiting magazine capacity to ten rounds. Some people think that I’m out to take people’s guns away. That’s simply not true.”

Parker’s advice to parents with firearms is to keep them in a safe place and know where they are at all times. “If a child wants to play at a friend’s house, I would advise parents to ask the adults in charge if they have guns in the home and are they safely stored. We have friends who lost their daughters playing at a friend’s house because they were able to find a gun with tragic results,” he said.

Alison Parker graduated from James Madison University in 2012, and within two years she was working as a reporter at WDBJ-7. It was a field trip to CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta during her junior year of high school that motivated her to become a journalist.

The takeaway that Parker wants people to have from the book is that his daughter was a fierce competitor and a natural at just about everything she tackled.

“Alison’s death and the way she died gave me the fuel to channel my grief and anger into activism. It’s taking the most devasting thing that can happen to a parent and turn tragedy into something constructive,” he said. “It has been quite the journey and I’ve been fortunate to have a platform, thanks in large part to the journalism community. Alison will always be a part of that fraternity.”

For more information about the book and Alison’s life, visit www.andysfight.com.