Biden, lawmakers push for gun reform on Sandy Hook shooting anniversary

President Biden and several other Democratic lawmakers pushed for gun reform on the 11th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting.

“Eleven years ago, the souths of Newtown, Connecticut, and the nation were pierced forever when twenty-six lives were stolen at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a lone shooter,” Biden posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding that he and the first lady were praying for the families and survivors.

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 Sandy Hook students, six staff members and his mother. The shooting prompted a renewed debate about gun control in the U.S., including proposals to enact universal background checks and ban semi-automatic firearms.

Vice President Harris wrote that in the years since the elementary school shooting, gun violence has become the number one killer of U.S. children.

“Together, we must call on Congress and state legislators to take action. Ban assault weapons, make background checks universal, and enact red flag laws,” she said in a post on X. “These solutions are reasonable, they are necessary, and they will save lives.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also commemorated the anniversary and promoted Democrats’ attempts to pass an assault weapons ban, which Republicans blocked.

“We won’t stop working to pass it,” his X post said.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) wrote that the day remains “seared in our memories, sealed by tragedy & trauma, the pain still raw & real.” The victims of the shooting inspire the continuous “call to action against gun violence,” he said.

Fellow Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) also posted online to honor the victims.

“I beg you – commit yourself to the cause of creating a nation where this never ever happens again,” Murphy wrote.  

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded Congress “take on the NRA and pass life-saving gun safety legislation NOW.”

In a press conference Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized Congress for its inability to pass reform.

“The country said, ‘We must never allow it to happen again,’” Jeffries said. “But this year alone, there have been 635 mass shootings in the United States of America, and more than 40,000 Americans have lost their lives due to gun violence in 2023 alone.”

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) similarly criticized Congress’s lack of action.

“In the years since the massacre, survivors and families have turned anguish into action – demanding an end to the gun violence crisis,” Pelosi said on X. “Republicans must join Democrats to enact gun violence prevention legislation that will save lives and finally end this crisis.”

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said he continues to be “inspired by the courageous advocacy” of the families and survivors. The Safer Communities Act passed in 2022 “was a breakthrough” but work must continue to pass “comprehensive gun safety legislation in Congress,” he said on X.

Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.) said there have been thousands of mass shootings since 2012 and “Congress continues to fail” at passing common-sense legislation. “The time for action is now!” he said on X.

Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) addressed lawmakers in a speech Thursday, asking them to “remember your commitment to the people we serve. I ask that we work together to make our schools and our communities safe, to ensure tragedies like Sandy Hook Elementary School are a thing of the past.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) criticized Congress’s lack of action since the shooting.

“That Congress hasn’t done more to protect our children by enacting commonsense gun control is an awful failure,” she said on X. “We must continue to fight to keep kids safe.”