Joe --
My mom, Dawn Hochsprung, was the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Six months ago today, she was shot and killed in her school, along with five of her coworkers and 20 of her students.
In the weeks and months after that horrible day, lawmakers from across the country told us, the families of the victims, that they'd take action to make our communities safer. What we found out is that, for some of our members of Congress, those were empty promises.
And in those six months, thousands more people have been killed by guns.
I've been doing everything I can to reach out to members of Congress. But my voice isn't enough. Today, on the six-month anniversary of Newtown, every single person who cares about reducing gun violence in America needs to recommit to this fight.
More than 1.4 million Americans have said they're with us in the fight to reduce gun violence -- add your name today.
In her last minutes, Mom was just as brave and caring as I knew her to be. After telling everyone to hide, she went running into the hallway, saw the gunman, yelled and lunged at him in an effort to protect the school she loved.
I miss her every second of every day. I'm getting married in just a few weeks -- to a guy she was rooting for, in a dress we picked out together -- but because a dangerous man got his hands on a gun, my mom won't be there to see it.
I'm still grieving -- and I'm not alone. On average, 33 Americans are killed by a gun every single day. That's 33 new families a day who mourn like I do.
If a background check saves even one life, and keeps even one family from hurting like this, then this fight will all be worth it. I think my mom would like to know that the tragedy that fell on Newtown meant that another tragedy could be stopped before it even started.
I'm asking you to join me today, six months after that horrible day, to keep this fight going -- take action for my mom, Dawn, and the 25 other people who we lost in December.
Say you're with us today:
http://my.barackobama.com/Six-Months-Since-Newtown
Thanks,
Erica
Erica Lafferty
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
26 comments:
Taking away lawful guns will not stop the vast majority--probably 98% of murders that occur daily. Criminals don't obey laws---period
I am glad that there have been no Federal law changes unlike in Maryland where gun laws are ridiculous and there is still mass murder going on in Baltimore---wonder why that is????
sorry for your loss Erica, however, all the gun control bills proposed will not remove the threat entirely.
Funny how they know the whole details or presume to know more details than the public on this matter...
Fishy to me...
Erica, sorry for your tragic loss.
The problem with your plea is 1) a gun did not kill your mother - nor any of the other 33 people you state are killed every day by guns - those deaths were each caused by people; 2) none of the proposed laws would have saved your Mom or any of the others - in fact many of those killed were in jurisdictions like Chicago that have the strictest of gun control laws; and, 3) the best defense for situations like the Newtown incident is to arm more people - had this not been a gun free zone, and had this kid known they would be several people carrying in that school your mother would probably still be alive today.
Responsible action derived from weighing of all possibilities of every suggestion would be a better approach than action derived by reaction to perceived causes.
Regulations are needed. For thoes of you who say no.. Let me ask this.. Your in a room of 50 individuals. I have 3 weapons... A knife... A baseball bat.. And a machine gun... Police will be there in 3 minutes... You may remove one of these weapons to save as many as you can... Which weapon do you remove?
Background check will not stop anything. Thugs don't go through proper channels to get weapons. Outlaw all the weapons in the world, and criminals will still get them.
10:27 - The answer is pretty simple; you start threatening then any of those fifty people should use their gun to remove your threat.
We don't need more regulations on guns. Owe-Malley has already dont that for us.
Gun Control does not control the mentally ill.
If the other 49 people were armed and had concealed carry permits you would not be a threat at all. The police would not even have to be called because you would have been taken care of. The premise of your question is flawed and you don't seem to know what you are talking about. Go ahead and call Obama, he is on your side of the fence.
I do think it will stop some of the terror & therefore believe in background checks.
You may remove one of these weapons to save as many as you can... Which weapon do you remove?
June 14, 2013 at 10:27 AM
I would remove YOU.
Isn't ironic that when someone is shot the liberals blame the gun. When someone explodes a bomb they blame the bomber. I'm sorry for your loss as well, but those guns were registered, by law, and carried by a very sick person in a no gun zone. If your mom had a gun to fight back with, she might be alive today.
Dear Erica Lafferty, We empathize with your lose, as well the lose of others, but you're request is misguided. Criminals will forever find guns to commit their crimes. The possibility of jail does NOT scare them. The only thing that DOES scare them is their potential victims owning and/or firing a gun in their direction. You and your mothers tragedy are being used for the sole purpose of the removal of all guns in the United States of America by foreign powers now deeply entrenched within our own government. The fore fathers of this country understood and provided in our Constitution the right to own and bear arms so we would be able to defend ourselves against any and ALL enemies. Those enemies today are our own government who have used your tragedy and others to support their liberal hidden agenda, while their true agenda is a one world domination, of all living people, but they know full well, that will be impossible to accomplish in the United States of America, just as long as free people, free thinkers that will forever own guns and are more then willing to die to defend those precious freedoms. Again we feel your sorrow, but you should consider the much deeper, hidden agenda and understand that YOU are being used for sinister hidden reasons. Guns guarantee our freedoms and we will fight to the death to preserve those freedoms, against anyone and everyone, including any government, be it foreign or domestic, that wants to see Americans in chains, in servitude. There are many things in life far more precious then the lose of ones own life. We understand the lies that you have been fed Erica, apparently YOU do not. God bless our country.
Dear Erica,
My heart is broken that you lost your mom to the mindless acts of a coward. There are no words to ease your pain. Your tendency, however, to let your emotions guide your thought processes in this direction will prove to be counterproductive if they come to fruition. You see, often victims of these types of crimes are created long before the acts of violence that take life. Yes Erica, victims are created in the mind. Many times we allow ourselves to become victims by failing to take steps to protect ourselves. I'm not saying that the victim is to blame for the violent act of the perpetrator. I'm saying that if we as a society began to understand that we individually need to take steps to defend ourselves, we could physically and mentally prepare for incidents such as these long before they ever occur. Imagine for a moment if you will, that your mom had been prepared for this type of thing in advance. Imagine that she owned and carried a firearm of her own. Imagine how differently the outcome would have been if she had taken the time to become proficient in it's use. If only she had developed the mentality of a survivor. She would likely still be with you today.
The laws that prohibit us from carrying weapons so that we can defend ourselves are created by those among us who believe the same things you believe. So it is, in fact, people like you who create victims by turning good, law abiding citizens into criminals if they choose to develop a survival mindset and carry a weapon to defend themselves and their families.
Erica take this new found ambition and turn it into something good. Go out and purchase a good firearm. Learn how and when to use it. Become proficient. Practice, practice, practice. Develop the mindset of a survivor and get rid of your current mindset of a victim. Accept the fact there are those who will do evil to others and there have been since the beginning of recorded history. You cannot change that. What you can change is the way you respond to this inevitable evil. What say you? Will you and your family be victims or survivors?
I feel sorry for the girl but ultimately the public school systems, administrators, principals, etc are partially responsible for these tragedies. In their quest to social engineer children they want them to be all alike. When a child is different whether it be shy, quiet, overly talkative, etc they are labeled and most are immediately started on mind altering drugs which turn the child into zombies, unfeeling and incapable of human emotion. When a child lacks emotion anything is possible.
My prayers go out to Erica Lafferty. It is evident that she is young and is not aware of all the gun laws that are currently on the books and are not adhered to. If the current laws were enforced there would not be the problems we have today. The one item that has to addressed is when Madeline O'Hare all those years ago fought to have prayer removed from the schools our society started in to downward spiral. People are no longer held accountable for their lack of morals which has caused so many of the problems we have today. There was a time that we as Americans felt safe, doors were never locked, children played freely outside without fear. Because of the moral decay of this country all those luxuries are now gone. My grandchildren will never know the freedoms I had has a child, or even the pared down version of freedoms their parents enjoyed. GOD forgive this nation for losing sight of the values this great nation was built on.
10:27 You can't be serious? Silly scenario. I agree with 11:14 you are the problem.
1.4 million isn't squat compared to the 300 million of us that live here lawfully. That's about 1/2 of 1 percent. Sorry about your Mom, but anything with Obama in it isn't the answer.
I can't believe you are posting this Joe. Sandyhook was an inside job. I also can't believe you want us to register with Google and use our real names. Taking some tips from the NSA are you?
Isn't it sad that the Obama administration is USING the Sandy Hook victims to pass their agenda and more sadly, that the families of the victims are allowing it?
I, like everyone else, am sorry about the loss of life there.
But, I, nor anyone else, should or would give up their rights and firearms because a nut went on a killing spree.
Even in your wildest dreams that were to happen, more killings like this would take place, not less.
A firearm is nothing more than a tool. The person holding it decides which type of tool it will be.
Despite uninformed cries to the opposite, unarming people is not the way to go.
That only leads to more unarmed victims. I do not wish to be a victim.
Yep, this principal and the rest of the public school cluster of liberalism are responsible for these shooting.
Out of one side of their mouths they claim "diversity" is a wonderful thing.....but when it comes to children it's a bad thing.
Everyone has different personalities and to attempt to change them (and that's what they do) is a horrible thing, detrimental to mental health.
When a child continuously hears things like they have "no social skills" they end up thinking something is wrong with them. It's not-that happens to be their personality. Not everyone is born with their traits. When a child doesn't conform to what the public schools sees as "normal" they are drugged into submission which causes these children to become emotionless. When someone is without emotion there is a greater chance of them becoming violent.
This principal and all the other public school employees and boards, liberal views etc grew this problem singlehandly and they are clueless as how to fix it nor can they due to the power of the drug companies and their hold over democratic politicians.
Sorry for your loss, Erica. No one can understand what you felt on that day and what your feelings are now. NoOne, not friend, not co-worker, not politician and certainly not Barry Obama. You may not realize it or you might have questions you can't find answers for, but you, yourself best understand your feelings. I dont intend to sound as mean or negative but Im not able to agree on new proposed gun control measures. Criminals do not obey the laws. And I say this: If there was just one person with firearm and proper training inside the school, the shooter wouldn't make it far and your mother might have had fighting chance and may have been alive today.
Just like the bush administration used 9/11 to pass their agenda...people.wake up that was an inside job as well.. Sheep sheep sheep.
Well said 1:03 pm Thank you! .....signed 12:59pm
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