Brandon Guffey with portrait of late son, Gavin Guffey.Photo: Andrew J. Whitaker
The last of the seven names he read was that of his son: “Gavin Timothy Guffey, who is forever 17,” Guffey said.
He read the names after imploring the House to pass a bill he proposed to raise awareness about sextortion and punish criminals who extort their victims after receiving intimate images or videos from them.
He introduced the bill to protect others from sextortion after his son, Gavin Guffey, fell victim to the scam and died of suicide in July 2022.
In a vote following his emotional plea, the House unanimously passed the bill — and gave Guffey a standing ovation.
The Guffey family.Courtesy
“I was shocked at the amount of support from everyone,” Guffey tells PEOPLE. “To have two thirds of the delegation stand behind me in support and to receive a standing ovation was overwhelming.”
“Unanimous support from all members shows that the legislators have recognized the severity of the issue and taken necessary steps to hold perpetrators accountable,” Guffey continues. “Now is time to pressure the Senate to agree with us and take it up quickly.”
The South Carolina senate will consider the bill in its next session. It will become law if it passes the senate.
It would also require school districts statewide to inform students and faculty about the dangers of sextortion.
Before the bill was passed, Guffey stood before the chamber wearing his son’s Vans shoes (on which the artistic teen had drawn), along with a specially-made tie and a lapel pin with the “<3” symbol — which was the last message Gavin sent to friends before his suicide.
“Nine months ago tomorrow I lost my 17-year-old son to suicide and it was due to sextorting,” he said.
“This is not just a problem in South Carolina. This is not just a problem in the U.S.,” he said. “This is a problem globally. Our laws do not move fast enough to keep up to punish those that are responsible and that makes it difficult across state lines and international lines.”
The issue is so widespread that theFBI issued a public safety alertin December saying that law enforcement had received more than 7,000 reports related to the online sextortion of minors.
South Carolina is one of the states that does not currently have sextortion laws, he pointed out.
“My goal and I believe everyone’s goal in here is to protect children,” he said.
Guffey plans to continue raising awareness about the issue, especially in schools.
“I never heard of sextortion prior to my son Gavin,” he said.
Last summer, “Gavin was living his best life,” he said.
And yet when scammers threatened to publicly share compromising photos he shared with them – because they made him think he was talking a young woman from North Carolina, he fatally shot himself.
“More than half of all suicides are impulsive,” he said, adding: “This crime is so horrific because it targets all of our shame.”
“Think of your most vulnerable moment being made public to everyone out there,” he added.
The bill has already been raising awareness because of the media attention it has received.
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“Since everything has come out with my son, daily I get messages” from parents whose children have been sextorted," Guffey said.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say daily,” he said. “A good day is only once a day that I’m having to talk to a parent.”
After the bill passed, Guffey told PEOPLE, “To read the other children’s names and their forever ages was important to me when speaking. Our families are forever linked in our purposes and we can only hope we can prevent other families from having to experience this horrific crime.”
He added, “I am extremely grateful but feel it is only one battle won. The war is still in front of me.”
source: people.com
