For Release: Monday, December 14, 2015
Washington, DC — On December 14, 2012, a man with a semiautomatic assault rifle killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center and a native of Newtown, made the following statement:
“I have worked to end gun violence my entire adult life, but I will never forget that terrible day when grade-school-aged children were brutally murdered in the town where I grew up. It is still an outrage that this tragedy did not prompt our national leaders to act. At the same time, I have been heartened, encouraged, and made proud by the community’s response. Advocates from Newtown and their allies have tirelessly stood up to the NRA and the gun industry, called and lobbied members of Congress, taken to the streets, and supported other communities struck by gun violence. Their leadership has strengthened the national movement to prevent future tragedies. Three years later, Connecticut has adopted some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the country, and momentum for effective policies on a national level continues to build. Even as we continue to grieve, this is a day when all Americans should unite in a call to action to finally stop this epidemic.”
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
