Monday, Dec. 14, will mark the eighth anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were killed by a 20-year-old man who then turned the gun on himself and took his own life.

For me, I will always remember where I was when I heard the news. I was teaching at the new Harriet Beecher Stowe School here in Brunswick.  My mind kept picturing the children I was teaching lying bleeding in our own beautiful, sunny foyer. That image has haunted me ever since.

That’s when I began my volunteer work with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. This organization’s goals are to educate the public about gun safety and to promote gun safety legislation. Our objective is to keep guns in the hands of people who are able to store and use them safely.

The young man who shot the children at Sandy Hook had a history of mental illness, emotional instability, and social isolation. That morning, he took a semi-automatic M-15, 10 magazines of ammunition and three handguns from his mother’s gun safe. He shot her in the head four times while she was still in bed before driving to Sandy Hook. He ignored the locked doors and broke through glass windows to enter the school as morning announcements were being delivered on the intercom. He then walked into a classroom to kill 20 first graders and six staff members, all in five minutes’ time. This was 11 days before Christmas.

I urge you to work together with your legislators in the coming year to pass common sense legislation to prevent gun violence and, especially, to keep our schools the safe havens they should be for our children and grandchildren.

Please join me in honoring all those who have died by gun violence at the Sandy Hook Vigil in front of the UU Church of Brunswick, Monday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.  This year our event will be outside, socially distanced. Masks are mandatory. Candles will be provided.

Vicki Farsaci,
Brunswick