Mobile Menu - OpenMobile Menu - Closed

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty

Representing the 5th District of Connecticut

Connect

Newtown Congresswoman Esty Marks Fourth Anniversary of Sandy Hook Tragedy

December 14, 2016
Press Release

NEWTOWN, CT – Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), representative for Newtown, Connecticut, today released a video statement recognizing the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and calling for bipartisan action to prevent gun violence.

Esty’s video can be watched by clicking on the image below or visiting https://youtu.be/hN4JTVKn_fA. Scroll down for a transcript of Esty’s remarks in the video.

“Today we mark the fourth anniversary of when 20 schoolchildren and six brave educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And in that time, millions of you have joined with me and my colleagues in Congress and with folks all across America to say that we need to do better. We can and we must work to end the scourge of gun violence in this country.

“Now, it’s been a tough election. People have been worried – I’ve gotten lots of calls in my office – and I’ve found it tough, too. We haven’t had a vote in the House of Representatives in the last four years. During that time, 130,000 – let me repeat that – 130,000 Americans have lost their lives to gun violence.

“But here’s what you need to know: The American people stand with us. Millions of you have joined your voices, you’ve written, you’ve called, you’ve sent emails, you’ve voted, you’ve talked to your neighbors, and insisted that we do better, that we make America safer for all of us.

“And so to my new colleagues in Congress, to the newly elected President, I ask you: Join us, work with us, because I know – and I know you know – it’s not OK that 33,000 Americans a year are dying from guns. We can do better than that, and with your help, if we all work together, if we commit to work with each other, we can save lives.

“That’s what the American people are asking us to do – to do better, to work together, to work for the betterment of all Americans. Because we should be able to go to Church, to pray in a temple or a synagogue or a mosque or a church, to go to school, to play in a park, to go to a movie theater, to relax with friends on a front porch and not worry about being gunned down.

“And I commit to you, and I ask you to commit to me and to each other. And to the new President and to my new colleagues, let’s resolve that 2017 is the year in which we can and we will do better for gun safety in this country. So enjoy your holidays and rest up, because we have a lot of work ahead.”

###