By: Samantha Cleare
On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 innocent children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School, located in the small community of Newtown, Conn. This catastrophe left America in horror and hungry for change. The citizens of Newtown fought for stronger mental healthcare and gun control that caused the mass shooting. However, the government did not mirror Newtown’s efforts in the past year. For the first anniversary of the massacre, the citizens of Newtown requested privacy, so that they may grieve without media attention.
A few days before the anniversary, the Newtown Action Alliance held a service in Washington, D.C., that culminated with a vigil at the Washington National Cathedral. The Newtown Action Alliance provides support for victims of other mass shootings as well, such as the tragedies that also occurred in Aurora, Colo., Tucson, Ariz., and the campus of Virginia Tech. Event coordinator and Newtown resident Dave Ackert commented, “Hopefully these events will help us deflect some of the attention away from our town.” Pat Llodra, Newtown First Selectman, wrote on her blog, “We are wishing fervently that those many persons who wish us well, and the media, will allow us this time to be alone and quiet.” Llodra’s public decision to handle the anniversary in private was endorsed by a mental health professor, a member of the clergy, and the interim schools superintendent. Privacy helps the country comprehend the enormity of the tragedy as well as keep unwanted outsiders from Newtown.
The fact that public awareness benefits Sandy Hook charity organizations complicates Newtown’s plea for privacy, however the citizens’ emotional and psychological needs are still better met by affording the community space rather than money at this time of year. Although the Newtown Memorial Fund was initially created in order to fund the immediate needs of the survivors and their families, long-term issues such as mental health counseling are now being addressed. About $1.6 million raised thus far helps pay for academic scholarships and a physical memorial for the lives lost within this community. The Sandy Hook School Support Fund distributed more than $7.5 million in donations to 40 families afflicted by the shooting. This fund will now use the remaining 5 million dollars for broader community needs. There are more than 20 personalized memorial funds dedicated to individual victims. Funding helps the community continue to heal and move forward.
Newtown’s political action groups are seeking to change gun control and mental health laws. Although the U.S. Senate rejected a bill to expand background checks for gun buyers last April, members of the Newtown Action Alliance continue to lobby for stricter gun laws. The Newtown Action Alliance raised money online to allow more people to join the group. In early December, the Ana Grace Project, honoring six-year old Ana Marquez Greene, held an inaugural event in Hartford to promote mental and community well being. The event included spiritual and musical activities, guest speakers …and no reporters. Guest speakers included Steven Girelli of KlingbergFamilyCenters, mental health professor Bryan Gibb, Adi Flesher of Garrison Institute, and numerous speakers from children and mental health related organizations. Performances about gun violence and by the Connecticut Children’s Chorus made the evening spiritual and unforgettable.
The community of Newtown, Conn., chose to react to this tragedy by spreading positive values and attempting to change the conditions that led to the shooting by promoting gun-control and mental health laws. During this past year, the U.S. government failed to respond. America’s firearm-related homicide rate is higher than any other industrialized country. While gun violence decreased overall in the U.S. this year, fire-arms still claimed the lives of 10,000 Americans.
An October Quinnipiac Poll declares that nearly 90 percent of Americans support background checks. In gun-owning households, a surprising 88 percent of these Americans also approve of stricter gun laws. These statistics have only changed slightly since the media recognition of gun violence concerning Sandy Hook and other infamous mass shootings. While Americans continue to want to increase gun control, the government still fails to act. The inability of the United States Senate to conquer procedural problems and powerful lobbying groups such as the National Rifle Association, which contributed about $2.5 million toward lobbying in 2013, allows dangerous weapons to be sold with ease to mentally unstable owners.
Aid and care for mentally unstable American citizens is another topic of change and controversy in the past year. On the eve of the Newtown massacre anniversary, Vice President Joe Biden announced a mental health push that would include $100 million of new government funding. Biden stated, “The fact that less than half of children and adults with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need is unacceptable.” Although congress has not yet allocated funds, the White House proposed to spend $180 million to help teachers recognize students’ mental health illnesses early. The administration will spend $50 million to provide more services and mental health professionals in community healthcare centers as well as another $50 million to benefit mental health facilities in rural areas.
As Obama stated in his speech concerning Sandy Hook a year ago, “Now is the time”. Now is the time to be inspired by the Newtown citizens’ bravery, optimism, and kindness. Now is the time for the Federal government, like the citizens of Newtown, to move forward, standing strong and fulfilling America’s overwhelming desire to stop gun violence.
