Bells toll at Sandy Hook: Town remembers twenty six victims of Newtown tragedy as Obama and Michelle hold minute of silence
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Bells tolled 26 times to honor the children and teachers killed one year ago in a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School as local churches held memorial services and President Barack Obama observed a moment of silence.
Mr Obama marked the anniversary of the Newtown school shootings earlier this morning by calling for tighter gun control and expanded mental health care.
‘We haven't yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer,’ the president said in his weekly address. ‘We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds.’
He also said that real change won't come from Washington, but from the American people pushing for change.
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Taking stock: The President and Michelle Obama take a moment of silence in honor of the Newtown shooting victims on the one year anniversary of the tragedy
Remembrance: Residents gather outside St. Rose of Lima church as bells are rung 26 times and the names of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims are called over a loudspeaker, in Newtown, Connecticut
Sobering message: President Obama said in his weekly address that one years after the Newtown shootings, the nation has not done enough to make communities safer
President Obama and first lady Michelle arrive to light twenty-six candles in honor of the Newtown shooting victims
At around 9.30am, Mr Obama and the first lady observed a moment of silence at the White House and lit candles in the Map Room of the White House in memory of the 20 children and six school workers who died in a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school a year ago.
Legislation that would have extended background checks for gun sales made online and at gun shows and to ban rapid-firing ‘assault’ weapons failed to clear the U.S. Senate this year.
Opponents argued it is essential to hold the line on protecting Americans' right to keep and bear arms guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
State legislatures have been more aggressive in enacting gun control legislation but those measures have faced some backlash.
Colorado passed gun control measures, but gun rights activists used recall elections to oust two state senators who backed them.
In memoriam: Hundreds stand outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, which was filled to capacity
Private grief: Newtown officials have discouraged the news media from coming to Newtown on the day of the anniversary
The White House has proposed spending $130million to help teachers and other people who work with youth recognize the signs of mental illness and help people get treatment, but Congress has not yet allocated those funds.
So the administration will spend $50million from its Health and Human Services budget to help community health centers hire more mental health professionals and provide more services.
Another $50million will be spent from the Agriculture Department budget to improve mental health facilities in rural areas, the White House has said.
In Newtown today, private memorial services will be held and bells will toll for the victims.
At the request of Connecticut's governor, houses of worship around the state rang their bells this morning 26 times — once for each of the 20 children and six educators gunned down inside the school on December 14, 2012.
Father's anguish: Mark Barden (left) released a short video sharing memories of his son, Daniel (right), 7, who aspired to becoema firefighter and was uncommonly empathetic
Call to action: The heartrending messages were recorded for the Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating parents about mental health, gun safety and gun violence prevention
Newtown officials have called for privacy and asked town residents to honor the victims through acts of service and kindness.
At a joint appearance during the week in Newtown, some of the victims' families urged people to find ways to give back to their own communities.
‘In this way, we hope that some small measure of good may be returned to the world,’ JoAnn Bacon, whose 6-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was killed at Sandy Hook.
The town had no formal events planned for Saturday, and officials have discouraged the news media from coming to Newtown.
‘We are trying to respect the world's interest in us, but we also have a real need in our community to gain a foothold,’ First Selectman Pat Llodra said.
The gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother inside their Newtown home before driving to the school where he carried out his rampage. He killed himself as police arrived.
Angel's song: Nelba Márquez-Greene shared in her taped message that her 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace (right), loved music and dancing
Final ride: Ana Grace's tiny white coffin seen inside a horse-drawn hearse on the day of her funeral
Daddy's little girl: During Ana's memorial service, her father sang 'Jesus Loves Me' in her honor
At Saint Rose of Lima, the Roman Catholic church that hosted the funerals of eight children, a service will include the dedication of a memorial arch and the ringing of peace bells that also were rung at Virginia Tech after the mass shooting there in 2007 and in New York after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In commemorating of the tragedy, some of the Newtown mothers and fathers who lost their children one year ago released emotional YouTube videos raising awareness of gun violence.
In the short clips recorded as part of the Parent Together initiative, three bereaved parents shared stories about their slain children, among them 7-year-old Daniel Barden.
His father, Mark, says in the video that the little boy aspired to be a firelighter and was often called an 'old soul.'
‘He would pick up ants from the kitchen, carry them outside to reconnect them with their families. He would pick up worms from the driveway and rescue them from the sun,’ Mr Barden said.
Nelba Márquez-Greene shared in her taped message that her 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace, loved music and learned to sing and dance before she spoke her first words.
Nicole Hockley (left) talked about her 6-year-old son, Dylan, who was just learning to read when he was shot in the arms of his teacher
‘We had a quartet, and our life now is trying make sense of having a trio and not a quartet,’ she said.
The heart-breaking clip features a photo of Ana's tiny white casket on a hearse. During her funeral, the child's father started singing 'Jesus Loves Me,' and all the mourners joined in in honor of little Ana, whose voice was silenced forever.
In a third message, Nicole Hockley shared her memories of her 6-year-old son, Dylan, who was just learning to read when he was mercilessly gunned own in Sandy Hook in the arms of his teacher.
Mrs Hockley said Dylan loved playing tag, was affectionate and adored his older brother.
‘He was 6 when he was killed, so we'll never know what he might have been or what he might have contributed to society,’ she said. ‘But that's why I'm here talking about him to ensure that in this way -- in some way -- Dylan remains alive and his name and image are associated with the promise that we make to build a safer future and that's part of his legacy going forward -- that his death will have sort of meaning.’
The heartrending messages were recorded for the Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating parents about mental health, gun safety and gun violence prevention.
FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ADDRESS ON NEWTOWN ANNIVERSARY:
One year ago today, a quiet, peaceful town was shattered by unspeakable violence.
Six dedicated school workers and 20 beautiful children were taken from our lives forever.
As parents, as Americans, the news filled us with grief. Newtown is a town like so many of our hometowns. The victims were educators and kids that could have been any of our own. And our hearts were broken for the families that lost a piece of their heart; for the communities changed forever; for the survivors, so young, whose innocence was torn away far too soon.
But beneath the sadness, we also felt a sense of resolve – that these tragedies must end, and that to end them, we must change.
From the very beginning, our efforts were led by the parents of Newtown – men and women, impossibly brave, who stepped forward in the hopes that they might spare others their heartbreak. And they were joined by millions of Americans – mothers and fathers; sisters and brothers – who refused to accept these acts of violence as somehow inevitable.
Over the past year, their voices have sustained us. And their example has inspired us – to be better parents and better neighbors; to give our children everything they need to face the world without fear; to meet our responsibilities not just to our own families, but to our communities. More than the tragedy itself, that’s how Newtown will be remembered.
And on this anniversary of a day we will never forget, that’s the example we should continue to follow. Because we haven’t yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer. We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds. We have to do everything we can to protect our children from harm and make them feel loved, and valued, and cared for.
And as we do, we can’t lose sight of the fact that real change won’t come from Washington. It will come the way it’s always come – from you. From the American people.
As a nation, we can’t stop every act of violence. We can’t heal every troubled mind. But if we want to live in a country where we can go to work, send our kids to school, and walk our streets free from fear, we have to keep trying. We have to keep caring. We have to treat every child like they’re our child. Like those in Sandy Hook, we must choose love. And together, we must make a change. Thank you.
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
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Liberals say they can rid us of 300,000,000 guns, But can't rid of the 20,000,000 illegal aliens,, Hmmmm,,
Obama and his fake concern. Yes, Mr. Dictator, we want change. We want you to resign or impeached. Stay away from our Constitution, rights & freedoms. Disarming Americans will only serve Obama's agenda when wanting to thwart dissidents and rioters, or in the case of civil unrest when the final take-over begins. A massive confiscation of guns held by owners LEGALLY has already begun.The issue of gun confiscation is covered in an Army manual, which makes clear that every effort will be made to prevent rioters and dissidents from having access to weapons.The manual is a blueprint for how Americans would be disarmed during a declared civil emergency i.e. marshal law. "Right to keep and bear arms. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." 2nd Amendment. War has been declared on law-abiding citizens. Gun control will have no effect beyond curbing the rights of law-abiding citizens.
I have no doubt that the Obama's feel bad for the victims and the families of the victims-- we all do... BUT.. It's obvious that they're still using this tragedy as a staging ground for their own agenda... makes them look like the disingenuous activists that they are... The families are being used and the gun control nuts are lapping it all up. RIP lil' angels..
How come when the Virginia tech shooting happened no gun controls were pushed there was a lot more people killed and you mean to tell me that the whole day went by and not one video clip of or about the new town shooting the whole day
I know how it feels to lose a child. My heart goes out once again to those families. Rest in Peace to all those kids and my own daughter
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Max, Chicago, 53 minutes ago
Wow, they almost pretend to care. Luckily, like Beyonce, they only let an official photographer take pics to leak to the press. Excuse me while I go puke.