Democrats remember Sandy Hook shooting and renew calls for gun reform
As many remember the tragic 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, in which a shooter killed 20 children and six adults on scene, as well as himself and his mother, Democrats are renewing calls for gun reform.
The posts come amid news of two horrific mass shootings this weekend, one at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where two people died and another at a Hannukah celebration in Sydney that killed 16 people, and dozens more injured.
Why It Matters
On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people in the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, marking the deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. elementary school, while the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 is the second deadliest to date.
The Sandy Hook shooting sparked debates about gun control, with significant focus on the AR-15 rifle that had been used, and questions over the need for semi-automatic rifles to be legally available.
Some Democrats have pushed for tighter gun laws, while many Republicans oppose new restrictions and emphasize that gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment.
What To Know
In their remembrance of those killed, several Democratic lawmakers renewed calls for stricter gun laws, with the Democratic caucus writing in an X post, “As we honor their memories, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing real gun safety reforms and ensuring that every child in every community can go to school free from the fear of gun violence.”
Specific legislators also highlighted their desire for gun reforms, including Representative John Larson of Connecticut, who wrote on X: “We’ll never, ever give up. It’s time for universal background checks & an assault weapons ban.”
Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, said in an X post, “It’s been 13 years since the lives of 20 first-graders were taken at Sandy Hook. Yet Republicans still refuse to pass the commonsense gun safety laws that would keep other families from living this nightmare. Our kids cannot continue suffering from their inaction. We must keep the pressure on.”
Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota noted that school and mass shootings continue more than a decade after the Sandy Hook shooting, writing on X: “13 years – and yet every year since Sandy Hook, more parents join the growing cohort of families who grieve losing their child to a school shooting. We can end this. Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. The time for policy and action has been overdue for years.”
No major federal gun-control legislation has been enacted this year. Gun policy in the United States remains a patchwork, with some states having tighter restrictions and others with more expansive gun rights.
The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act expanded background checks for some gun buyers under 21, provided funding for state crisis-intervention programs, and boosted money for mental health services, among other measures.
Gun-control advocates have long pointed to Australia as a good example, which adopted sweeping firearm restrictions after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. But the deadly attack Sunday at a Hanukkah gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach renewed scrutiny of public safety even in a country where gun ownership is legal but tightly regulated.
What People Are Saying
Gabby Giffords, a former Democratic Representative and gun control advocate, wrote in an X post: “I know what it means to have everything change in an instant because of an act of gun violence, and I will never forget meeting with the Sandy Hook families after the shooting. These shootings are preventable. That’s why we founded GIFFORDS, to push elected leaders to take action and fight for commonsense gun safety. And that’s why I’ll never stop fighting for the safer future we all deserve.”
Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said in an X post on Sunday: “The shooting at Sandy Hook took the lives of 26 people, including 20 young children. We have let gun violence terrorize an entire generation of American students, and continue to allow it, as seen at Brown last night. Stealing their innocence and forcing them to reckon with the possibility of these horrors again and again. We have to act, we cannot let this cycle of gun violence continue.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said in an X post: “t’s been 13 years since Sandy Hook. These kids should be in college right now. Instead, families are still mourning—and gun violence is still the #1 killer of kids in America. Our children deserve leaders who do more to protect them.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in an X post: “Today also marks 13 years since 26 innocent lives were taken in an act of senseless gun violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School. From holding gun manufacturers accountable to passing commonsense gun safety legislation, we remain committed to leading the fight toward a safer future.”
Representative Judy Chu, a California Democrat, said in an X post: “My deepest condolences to the Brown University community during this terrifying time. Gun violence is a national crisis that continues to claim lives and devastate families & communities across our country. On the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, this tragedy is a painful reminder of the cost of inaction. Words are not enough. Congress must pass meaningful gun safety legislation to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.”
What Happens Next?
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont ordered state flags lowered to half-staff Sunday in honor of the Sandy Hook victims.
There are several gun-related proposals in Congress, although none has advanced into major new federal gun-control legislation this year.
