My Mom Was Murdered at Sandy Hook—Why Is This Still Happening?

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share my story, it is so painful and retraumatizing. I remain almost a decade later hurt, angry, and exhausted.

Everything about the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, reminds me of the day in December 2012 when my mother, Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, the principal at Sandy Hook School, was murdered while protecting her students and faculty.

The chaos. The aerial video of the school and students. The looks of anguish on the families’ faces as they waited to hear if their loved ones were alive.

More Guns and Cops at Schools Are Not the AnswerMAYBE TRY SOMETHING THAT HASN’T ALREADY FAILED

Tana Ganeva, Anthony L. Fisher

When I heard about the Texas shooting on Tuesday, I told myself I was going to step back and process out of the public eye.

But as soon as I began to step back, I heard my mother’s voice telling me that I can’t sit this one out. And I knew I had to make my voice heard.

I remember the day that ripped my life apart like it was yesterday. When I found out there was a shooting at my mom’s school, I knew there was no way she wouldn’t do everything in her power to protect her students and staff. I knew those kids and her colleagues meant everything to her. I knew almost immediately, deep down, that she was not coming out alive.

The shooting at Robb Elementary School is the deadliest shooting at an elementary school since the shooting at Sandy Hook School. I remember what the early days were like in Newtown and my heart is heavy for Uvalde and everyone else impacted by yet such a senseless act of violence in our schools—yet another tragic example of how urgent this public health crisis still is in our country.

Heartbreakingly, this tragedy is far from an isolated incident in the U.S. We all deserve to be safe in school, at the grocery store, at our place of work, and in our neighborhoods—no matter our race, immigration status or zip code.

Many of the families in Texas today, in Buffalo last week—and tomorrow, next year, and ten years from now—will be feeling an unimaginable loss that only those personally impacted by gun violence can understand.

Nothing that can be done will ever bring back my mother or their loved ones. But we can honor them with action. Inaction, however, is not an option.

How many more kids and educators have to die in our schools before our lawmakers act? How many more people need to die while grocery shopping? While walking on our city streets? We deserve to learn and live without fear, but thanks to our weak gun laws and the gun lobby’s relentless “guns everywhere” agenda, nowhere is safe.

Every day in the United States, more than 110 people die from gun violence, and hundreds more are wounded. Our gun violence crisis is a preventable tragedy, but for far too long many of our so-called leaders have only offered thoughts and prayers. Their thoughts and prayers do not save lives, but their actions and their votes can. We must DEMAND that they do their jobs.

The solutions)" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.everytown.org/solutions/__;!!LsXw!U9TtDCB93CnbZDUWo1LxKC40e_CQkXigosa4YNW4GGNGJrEjUmh6172d5qFbqTLe_3WaP80nmJMhlNnH8F90S0YA_w41AA$">solutions are there. It’s not rocket science to figure out what would save lives. States with strong gun safety)" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/__;!!LsXw!U9TtDCB93CnbZDUWo1LxKC40e_CQkXigosa4YNW4GGNGJrEjUmh6172d5qFbqTLe_3WaP80nmJMhlNnH8F90S0Z84eeWvQ$">strong gun safety laws see lower rates of gun violence, while states with weaker gun laws and dangerous policies experience higher rates of gun deaths and injuries. We know that background checks, red flag laws, and more education around secure storage can prevent gun violence in schools.

We must take action now. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers and members of the Everytown Survivor Network are doing just that. We are working day in and day out to make sure our country is safer.

But, we can’t do it alone. We need everyone to do this work.

I hate that I still have to be in this fight because it means that other people’s loved ones have also been stolen by this preventable health crisis—but I’m grateful to be joined by so many allies, leaders, and fellow survivors.

Mass Shooting Videos Are Protected Under These Awful LawsFIRST AMENDMENT FOR ME, NOT FOR THEE

Berin Szóka, Anthony L. Fisher

There is so much of my life, my sister’s life, and our kids’ lives that my mom has missed out on. First days of school, graduations, and everything in between. And the hole left by her absence is a daily reminder of the joy she never got to experience.

Whether it is a smell, a funny story, or any number of intangibles—my mother always feels like she is with me. She should be here. They should all be here.

I would give anything to have just one more day with mother, but I know that’s just not reality, so I am doing what I believe to be the next best thing. I’m fighting like hell to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.

I refuse to let my mothers death be just a statistic, and I refuse to allow our work to be in vain.

If you are tired, angry, sad, or some version of all three and want to get involved you can join us. We need you here. We will support you. We will fight with you.

Join us and text ACT to 644-33.