Ten Years …

Posted on by under education, guns, History, Law and justice, Social commentary

I’ve seen lots of tributes today to those 20 children and 6 teachers who were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School ten years ago.  Some of the tributes were touching, brought tears, but the only real tribute that would have meaning would be serious and massive gun regulation.  Those who don’t support strict gun control measures don’t need to bother to send “thoughts and prayers” to the families who still mourn the loss of their loved ones, for those “thoughts and prayers” are meaningless and their true intentions, to ensure that there will be more lives cut short, are all too clear.  Harsh?  Damn straight it is … I’m angry … we should all be angry.  We may not be able to cure the mental illness that drives people to commit such heinous crimes against humanity, but we CAN and SHOULD eliminate the tools that enable them to kill 26 people in a matter of minutes!

Since the Sandy Hook massacre 10 years ago …

Below is President Biden’s statement marking this 10th anniversary of that horrendous day …

Ten years ago, a lone gunman killed 20 first-graders and 6 educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Today, those first-graders should be sitting in eleventh-grade classrooms, planning for their high school graduation and all the possibilities ahead.  Those educators should be preparing lessons for new groups of students and enjoying full lives surrounded by their loved ones.  Instead, their desks are forever empty, their families are left with holes in their hearts, and our Nation is missing a piece of its soul.

     As we remember and grieve those victims and their families, we acknowledge the pain that the community of Newtown continues to endure.  That horrific day changed the lives of every survivor, many of whom still carry physical and emotional wounds.  It forced parents across America to wonder whether the goodbye hug they gave their child before school would be the last they ever have, like it was for the Newtown families.  And it has driven all of us to reexamine our core values and whether this can be a country that protects the most innocent.

     I believe it can.  This summer, I signed into law the first major bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, which helps to keep firearms away from people who are a danger to themselves and others.  And I have taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other President by this point in their Administration.  We are cracking down on so-called ghost guns, rogue gun dealers, and gun traffickers; helping States implement laws for extreme risk protection orders; and boosting investments in community interventions to stop violence.  I am also fighting to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.  The memories of the Newtown victims — and all victims of gun violence — demand nothing less.

     I am optimistic because I have seen the courage and resolve of the Sandy Hook families.  They have suffered unimaginable loss but have turned their pain into purpose.  For some, that has meant advocating for gun safety laws to protect other families from experiencing the same grief.  For others, it has meant starting foundations or programs that honor those they lost.  Working alongside other families of gun violence victims across America, they have helped shape a new movement for safety, grounded in love for our children, unwavering resilience in the face of grief, and a deeply held dream for a better future.

     Today and always, we honor the bright lives lost 10 years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School:  Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Rachel D’Avino, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Márquez-Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Anne Marie Murphy, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 14, 2022, a Day of Remembrance:  10 Years After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.  Let us recognize the courage of survivors and families of victims, who continue working to rebuild their lives, and let us commit to eradicating gun violence and helping rebuild communities that have suffered so much.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

 JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

17 thoughts on “Ten Years …”

      • I believe that if children have a good emotional and social foundation, that’s the key to preventing these tragedies. In many ways, I have a moral responsibility to give children what they need- love, kindness, etc. Best to you, Jill.

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  4. You will expect social media Republicans to claim their 2nd amendment rights are being removed by Biden and I believe a few have suggested these kind of massacres are staged by Democrats. The sickest of the sick these kind of hateful people are.

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    • Where guns are concerned, the gun nuts are all too willing to believe it when the Republicans tell them that the government is coming to take their guns away. We have more guns than people, yet only about 1/3 of households own a gun, so obviously there are some with arsenals in their basements. In fact, I know of one who has a mini arsenal in his garage. Were it up to me, I WOULD take their guns … every last one of them. I would repeal the 2nd Amendment. If nobody had a gun, then nobody would need one!

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      • I agree Jill, we do have gun owners here, however to want to own one you have to be a member of a shooting club or be a competition shooter, vermin control, security guard, collector or have some good reason for owning one and actually prove what you claim. Self loading weapons and shotguns need a special reason to own one. Defence of yourself against the neighbours, criminals, other political types, immigrants, black people, the current government and annoying people are not good enough reasons in this country. The gun and the owner are registered and background checked for mental or criminal offences, the person must do a safety training certificate and the weapons have to be secured in an approved safe that will be subject to random checks by police.
        Even with all this we had a shooting recently in my state of Queensland, where 2 police and a neighbour were killed, a rare one but the shooters were QAnon Trump survival types with heaps of guns who were thought to be on drugs.

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        • I definitely like your gun policies better than ours. And even as lax as ours are, people still complain if they have to pass a background check or purchase a license! Some states are now setting aside licensing requirements, and there are kits that aren’t even registered whereby people can make their own guns at home! Guns and nuclear weapons are the two worst inventions of mankind to date. I hadn’t heard about the shooting in Queensland … but at least, as you say, those are rare. Let’s hope it stays that way.

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  6. Has it been 10 years already?! I’m sad it’s a lot of political theatre and empty platitudes with gun control, to be honest, and enough concrete changes. The one positive thing, if you call it that, is Alex Jones finally getting his well deserved comeuppance!

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    • Yep … time flies, doesn’t it? You’re so right … gun regulation in this country is a joke these days. What few laws are made, don’t have any teeth and aren’t even enforced aggressively. I’m with you, though, that ol’ Alex Jones finally got his comeuppance, though not before nearly destroying the lives of some of the Sandy Hook families. And still, some people applaud Jones and believe his lies. Sigh.

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  7. They look so young, bright, happy and hopeful. Any so-called politician who has taken money from gun manufacturers has their blood on his or her hands.

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    • If they had lived, today they would be one year away from graduating high school, considering a career path, making lifelong decisions. But that opportunity was stolen from them in a matter of a few seconds. I agree … anyone who is against more stringent gun laws has blood on their hands in my view. Sigh.

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