Sandy Hook survivors share memories ahead of graduation

ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos spoke to six Sandy Hook school shooting survivors as they get ready to graduate from high school, almost 12 years since a gunman killed 20 students and six teachers.
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[@dk-kx8is]

We as a nation have failed these kids, and all of those in future school shootings. I am sorry, that nothing has changed.

[@RoyalMasterpiece]

For 25 years. 😢

[@RoyalMasterpiece]

Shame on our Presidents and Governments.

[@jonathanhawes]

@@RoyalMasterpiece, why?

[@tokumei1282]

Lady just said she doesn't want your sorry's

[@nwproductions5763]

I know damn well you’re not talking about banning guns like they’re the problem 😭😂 let alone acting like bad people still won’t get ahold of guns lol. Idiot

[@paigecullen4095]

the middle top girl is speaking about jesse, he really did save so many of his friends that day. such a brave young boy.

[@louern123]

💔💔💔

[@loscru2245]

whos jesse

[@lmc2375]

​@@loscru2245Really? Imagine he was one of the kids that died that day.

[@justinsingleton6067]

Jesse Lewis screamed for his friends to run, while the gunman reloaded. He was then the next to die. WTF is wrong with us when 6 year olds are called upon to be heroes?

[@AntiMasonic93]

Yeah, it is sad Emilie Parker didn't make it.

[@dparker4765]

That is going to be a super heavy graduation ceremony. Best wishes to all the kids.

[@sandyunderpants4376]

Yeah, they think it actually happened, which is also sad.

[@chrachrochris]

Every day of their lives is heavy

[@Jendromeda]

the ceremony is on youtube, they graduated a few days ago, the victims' names were also called out as graduates.

[@allisongilson9761]

My heart goes out to the families who won’t get to see their babies graduate 🥺💕

[@Glimmerandstyle]

God help us

[@mgicllmgn6402]

May all those children who lives were taken away from them rest peacefully and may their families and classmates find some peace and happiness🙏🏽💐❤️‍🩹

[@j.r.3981]

​@@GlimmerandstyleEnough with the fake religion crap. You people suck.

[@bibianaguadalupeislasherre9880]

They will never see their babies graduate from high school, going to college, falling in love, get married and starting families of their own.

[@vic5015]

Worst part is, in about 8 years or so, we're gonna be doing this all over again with the Uvalde survivors.

[@shannonc3574]

The fact that 20 first-graders were murdered at school is literally the biggest tragedy that could ever happen. And the fact that it's happened many other times in the United States is even worse. I don't have kids yet but I don't know how I will send them off to school when the time comes.

[@maplemusic8851]

You can homeschool them; I was homeschooled from grades 9-12 and even many of my teacher colleagues have homeschooled or are homeschooling their kids.

[@user-eh2ty4mv3e]

@@maplemusic8851 not an option for many

[@pabl0sauced0]

​@@maplemusic8851 parents work and being isolated can be terrible for kids growing up

[@AntiMasonic93]

Murdered? What?

[@LordAbaddon]

​@maplemusic8851 only if you want to cripple your kids' future.

[@aggu5477]

and nothing has changed

[@MauriceOrtiz-ut8yi]

I believe that this is the third year in a row that mass gun shootings outnumber the days of perspective days.

[@MauriceOrtiz-ut8yi]

In the US.

[@mic47013]

Nope😢

[@RoyalMasterpiece]

For 25 years. 😢

[@Megan-el3kp]

@@MauriceOrtiz-ut8yi in most of the world gun violence has been a huge problem and to this day it still has been a problem

[@tna9633]

i was a freshman in college studying early childhood education when this happened. i changed my major and i told myself i’d reconsider working in a classroom when change happens. it still hasn’t happened and im 30.

[@CJG1419]

I don’t blame you. It’s sickening

[@kenzierivera4696]

I’ve been scared while working in retail also, which is sad to say because it’s not the greatest accomplishment but because of the shootings in stores I’m actually terrified every time I go to work or honestly anywhere.

[@hannahroberts673]

I actually got an elementary teaching degree. I was student teaching when the Parkland shooting happened, and it was definitely one of the reasons I decided that I didn't want to be a teacher and haven't used my degree. 😕

[@lovesallanimals9948]

Like the girl said 'WE'have to make changes the Republicans are not going to do it

[@tna9633]

@@lovesallanimals9948 i agree. i was also a first year voter when this happened. i have used every opportunity to vote for change and these shootings have drastically shaped my views of the world. i am involved with organizations such as sandy hook promise and lives robbed. we have to do what we can and try not to feel defeated when our politicians do nothing to help us.

[@twins4life274]

I can't believe its been 12 years, I was 12 years old in 7th grade when this happened. Now these kids are approaching adulthood.

[@taekim2970]

It was my freshman year of high school. I found out at school the same day in my last class. My teacher saw it in her computer and was taking about it. I remembered being scared of a school shooting at my school until j graduated in 2016

[@twins4life274]

@@taekim2970 I remember my senior year in HS, it was Valentine's Day 2018, that's when the Parkland shooting happened. Our school was on edge, when that happened.

[@inglatera1910]

I was 12 in 7th grade too, I remember that day so clearly. We all stood in silence at the beginning of one of my classes when we heard the announcement over the loud speaker

[@AshleyWilliams-zs1sp]

I was a 5th grader at the time 😭

[@jazzy631]

i was the same age as most of them when this happened

[@sherikanelson9132]

I remember this day so vividly in college. It's making me emotional to see the survivors grow up while the other innocent babies didn't get that chance.

[@tonymontana4284]

It was tragic news.

[@Kwildcat13]

You remember what the media told you that is all

[@badboydrd]

Same!!! I didn’t either realize this much time has passed. I’m glad they made it but it’s horrible just thinking about what they had to go through to get here

[@AntiMasonic93]

Yeah, Emilie Parker would have been a great person. It is sad she was a victim.

[@HeatherwithanH]

@@Kwildcat13just stop

[@NickleForYourThoughts]

geez, that was 12 years ago!?

[@jacoryarnett7347]

Right, I thought that feel like 7 years ago.

[@user-kx1sl8wd1s]

Righg

[@michaelanthony3270]

11 gonna be 12 in December

[@jennymarie2603]

I was in college and crying over how can this happen..and Obama crying. fast forward it's like it's a thing daily. nothings changed and its shameful on USA and the government haven't done ANYTHING to protect our children.

[@terrrell7798]

actually they have done everything.. the fact is the problem is not the guns.. the problem is society.. also why was the school demolished? That's actually what led to the conspiracy theories.. and I'm not talking about the one from Alex Jones..

[@Quaker-tc8ue]

Blame the gop, who would rather continue receiving monies/support from the NRA than pass gun restrictions.

[@jhasi_a]

I remember calling my mom and we cried on the phone together. And seeing that nothing has been done and this continues to happen is truly disheartening.

[@lillaurap]

​@Quaker-tc8ue amen! It's all of the GOP's fkn fault. I'm so damn tired of them all. They don't stand for anything.

[@Tiffdwm]

Obama's tears were crocodile tears.

[@ann-majellamckelvie387]

I was preparing to graduate from high school when this happened, and now they are graduating high school. I can’t believe how fast time goes. I’ll never forget that day and the heartbreak I felt for these kids.

[@zpushy633sora8]

Class of 2013!!! That's so nice that you're 3 to 4 Years Older than me. I'm Class of 2016 and I was an incoming Freshman when this all happened and I just turned 15 the Following January of 2013. That's Crazy that this was Nearly 12 Years Ago.

[@hihi-ud8sz]

I just graduated last year it's so weird to think they were only a year younger than me. And how normal school shootings have become since this. Shooting drills were always part of all my years in school

[@hootymay6053]

I was in 8th grade. Maybe 14 at the time. Our English teacher put the tv on and we watched that day happen. I will never forget that. He wanted us to see what others are facing. I appreciate him even today for showing us. He was preparing us.

[@galaxyglow5187]

I too was an 8th grader when Sandy Hook happened. I was also 14 at the time. People hurting literal children hurts my heart.

[@maplemusic8851]

I was in 9th grade when it happened; I was 14 years old, and I remember my mother reacting to the horrifying news. She was horrified and actually nervous about my brother going to school (I was homeschooled then).

[@kaylaeatsasmr2649]

I was 13 in 8th grade 😢

[@Same448]

I love how they mentions uvalde. Small town, small children all massacred in their classrooms where they were supposed to be safe. Everyone should notice every shooting,but I see a lot of people ignoring uvalde. And like sandy hook people are heartless and doubt the death of children. uvalde two year mark, just passed. All of these children deserved to live and deserved protection.

[@DeathChild7]

and the cops just stood around in the hallway, like it was a drill. Uvalde, so many kids could have been saved IF the cops wouldn't have stood around, like it was a drill. Kids would be alive but guess cops don't want to stop the slaughter of children, they would rather stand around in the hallway, like it's a drill.

[@johnwinchester9561]

Too bad the supreme court doesn't feel that way and has ruled multiple times that cops have no obligation to protect ANYONE

[@johnwinchester9561]

@@DeathChild7 None would have died if the officer that had the shooter in his rifle sights BEFORE ENTERING THE SCHOOL had fired. But nobody wants to talk about him...

[@DeathChild7]

@@johnwinchester9561 I don't recall hearing that, interesting. But the cops still stood around like it was a drill, waiting to be told what to do because apparently that's what you do when children are being slaughtered, you stand around, like it's a drill. Active shooter is drill terminology or at least it used to be

[@RonSafreed]

England banned guns & gunpowder in 1774 colonial America 250 years ago!!

[@debbieagyeman3595]

I can’t believe I was a kindergarten when this all took place. Those 20 kids should be my age, too🥺

[@noway377]

Same, I was around the same age as these kids when Sandy Hook happened. I remember crying when I saw it on the news because I knew it could have been my school being shot up. It's surreal seeing these kids all grown up 12 years later.

[@Melior_Traiano]

@@noway377 Now you know how it feels for us when we see 9/11 memorials. Its unreal to me that there are now entire generations who weren't alive when it happened.

[@debbieagyeman3595]

@@noway377 Tbh, I don’t even remember the day of December 14, 2012. I was only in kindergarten and didn’t find out about Sandy Hook until 6th grade.

[@lifewithfartun3726]

I was 13 and in 8th grade when this happened, I had gotten on the bus to go home when a classmate said that someone shot up a school in Connecticut. I thought he was making a sick joke. I turned the TV on when I got home, and there it was on the bottom of the screen “20 children dead in Newtown school shooting.” I gave my parents the biggest hug that night. I am now 24, a nurse, and I recently became an aunt. There have been multiple shootings since then. And unfortunately, little has changed. After Dunblane and Port Arthur, the gun laws changed. Why can’t the U.S. do the same? Are guns that important over our kids? Wishing these sweet souls love and light for the rest of their days. May Charlotte Bacon, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Noah Pozner, Ana Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Daniel Barden, Jack Pinto, Jesse Lewis, Grace McConnell, Emilie Parker, James Mattioli, Avielle Richman and her father, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Madeleine Hsu, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt, Rachel D’Avino, Victoria Soto, Lauren Rousseau, Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlach, and Anne Marie Murphy continue to rest in perfect peace.

[@lovesallanimals9948]

The people are not going to give them up

[@maplemusic8851]

Gun laws DID change after Port Arthur and Dunblane; keep in mind that the UK already had strict gun laws well before Dunblane. Several US states such as NY, MD, and CT passed stricter laws; there HAVE been stricter laws passed since Sandy Hook.

[@DUTCHGAMERNL2]

USA gives more about guns then humans

[@lovesallanimals9948]

@maplemusic8851 I live in Connecticut and own weapons. You have a lot of people who already own them, and the guy that did stole the weapons from his mother, who already legally owned them

[@benfatai-dq9vy]

@@lovesallanimals9948go walk into the ocean with your toys, you freak.

[@i.am.heather]

These teens are so incredibly resilient. Best of luck to all of them.

[@SimbaRobyn]

They are still babies 😞 I still don’t have words all these years later 💔 I am glad to see them giggling with each other & just being regular kids. A bond that can never be broken. ❤

[@mel6867]

Having survived the trauma and fighting for such an advocacy make them the bravest and most resilient young adults i've seen

[@OliviaRehrig]

The girl who told the story about getting told to run was talking about Jesse oh my😢that’s so sad.

[@omyxpie]

i know, immediately when she said that a victim told her to run i felt my heart sink

[@PattieM]

How do you know it was Jesse that told her to run?

[@omyxpie]

@@PattieM that’s what jesse’s know for, being a hero because he yelled at his classmates to run, saving their lives before he was shot

[@AcidCasper17]

I remember his mom telling that story. He was standing next to his beloved teacher she said & her son said to run when the shooter had to reload. So sad…

[@OliviaRehrig]

@@AcidCasper17 agreed

[@xxlovelymessxx9243]

My birthday is December 14th & I never go a birthday without sending out prayers &thoughts to the kids& families affected that day.

[@aliciaw2700]

@xxlovelymessxx9243 ❤𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔

[@mgreg8134]

Our children should never have to go through this.

[@theronaldophotography4971]

People, this is what the real meaning of the word PURPOSE is...I wish these kids continued healing and the best of luck to their adulthood journey.

[@jinmiguel6884]

Hard to call them kids after what they went through.

[@ElizabethStone-TolcherJames]

I live in Australia. And right after this happened my teacher I was in year 3 at the time told us in an aged appropriate way what happened. She said how if something ever happened like that here (fortunately it never has in Australia) she would do anything to protect us. She was also pregnant at the time and had a son younger than us. She is an amazing teacher.

[@RonSafreed]

In 1774, England banned guns and gunpowder in the 13 American colonies & this led to America's independence, after a 8 year war that England almost won over America!!

[@espinoza1987]

The survivors guilt must be tremendous. They were so young, I barely remember kindergarten, to be asked about it must be traumatic to where they blocked it out or a core memory they remember to the T. They are graduating HS! I hope change does happen no child should continue to experience this

[@ElizabethWhitacre-rt7gg]

I remember this day and think about the parents whose children didn’t get to go through school and graduate. My child was in elementary school at the time of this as well. I honestly thought at the end of her school year, every year, thank god school is out for the summer and she didn’t have to go through this horror.

[@shontelhorneonline]

Wow, I still think of them as babies and they are off to college. They are beautiful kids and wishing them a lifetime of peace and healing.

[@gnatLife]

congrats to those kids for graduation and I hope there are able to help make an change in schools and make it safer, glad they all stay in touch

[@Kristen-ek9rz]

I had a first-grade son when this happened. I couldn't breathe for the parents of those little children. I wish the best for all the graduating kids and for all the families connected to that horrible day.

[@TheSamjane4]

They would have all been turning 18 this year…they never got to be adults. Bless their parents with peace on this milestone year ❤

[@aleahboone4323]

I was good until he said the smiley faces filling the seats of there classmates that are supposed to be there, but aren't. Congratulations Graduates and Surviors. God Bless.

[@Lauren-ru9nw]

i was at Newtown middle school when this happened. I remember I was in Spanish class when they put us in lockdown, we had to bunch up all the desks together in a corner in the back of the room and hide underneath them because nobody knew what was going on. I remember us being scared and not knowing if something was happening in our school. One kid in our class was looking up the news and told the class what was happening at sandy hook. He let everyone use his phone to text their parents and let them know we were okay. My brother was in the school so I was worried sick.. hours later when we were all sent home, we found out that the kid who let everyone use his phone ended up losing his brother Jesse. These children and their families, our town, does not deserve the trauma that still lives deep within us, but unfortunately, i'm not hopeful gun laws will change soon.

[@user-rw2uh5bv3o]

Your story made me cry😢

[@user-rw2uh5bv3o]

Your story made me cry

[@RonSafreed]

In 1774, 250 years ago, England banned guns and gunpowder in colonial America & this caused that 8 year war for independence & England almost won that war!!

[@otvirani]

"It just keeps happening over and over and over again."

[@alexwilson9886]

I was still in high school when it happened. After hearing about it, I wanted to talk to my counselor. I send prayers to those that were lost that day.

[@MauriceOrtiz-ut8yi]

Hi Alex Jones, are you ever going to develop a spine and pay these people for your slander and propaganda! Pitiful!

[@Niconicoshizuko]

Exactly, I can’t believe the disgusting hatred he spewed

[@MichaelLovely-mr6oh]

​@@NiconicoshizukoFortunately his assets are being liquidated to pay the families he has slandered and defamed over the years.

[@ConGamePro]

Alex Jones needs to thank his Trump God that I didn’t have a child die that day because he would still expect me to see him.

[@NefariousEvildoer]

Alex Jones deserves to be six feet under for what he did to the Sandy Hook families. I watched a documentary filmed in 2013, one year after the shootings. One woman who lost her son was being harassed on a daily basis by Jones's cult. They were calling her, emailing her, coming to her address to harass her about her being a "paid actor" and to admit Sandy Hook was a "false flag". She said it was like being raped, over and over, after already going through the trauma of losing her son. I hope she's doing better these days.

[@thisisgettingold]

Wow. Pathetic. Putting blame on someone who used free speech to make a single claim. Instead of THE KILLER.

[@leslierodent]

I just graduated from highschool this year and was a 1st grader in 2012. We need change now for our future kids and remember our mistakes ❤️

[@insidewittsworld4620]

I was 11 years old in 5th grade when this happened and I can remember my mom’s heart just breaking while she watched the news coverage. I am now 23 and I have 3 kids of my own. I am absolutely terrified to send my oldest to first grade this year, but I don’t feel confident in myself to teach her. I wish things would change 😭

[@merricc6911]

The online idiots better leave these kids alone! They’ve been through too much as is

[@cakerbaker9965]

I remain gutted, all these yrs later, for the parents of the children who didn’t make it… I cannot fathom losing a child and then having strangers online debating whether that child even existed… It’s like being re-traumatized…shame on every conspiracy theorist who took them back to hell every time they posted their nonsense. May they receive true karma one day…

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@merricc6911, not all the theories were wrong. You're an expert, how? You ever been to Newtown CT?

[@caseycat]

​@@sergeantmasson3669dusty Alex Jones fart

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@caseycat WTH does Alex Jones have to do with this? You're an expert about Newtown CT, how? I used to live in that area, and I've forgotten more about it than you'll ever know. Try again, DA.

[@merricc6911]

@@cakerbaker9965 I think about those families a lot, too. It all should have stopped after Sandy Hook but nothing was done. the 3rd mass shooting in 3 years within an hour of me just happened 2 days ago: a shooter opened fire on parents/grandparents with small children cooling off at a splash pad. What a horrific fact of life in America. We have got to demand real change and elect people that will implement it.

[@SPACE.KITTY.]

I was probably 18 or 19 when this happened and it was so shocking. This was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. I feel for all these kids and all the survivors from the near daily shootings in this country.

[@stephenbrown7815]

And people think this was a hoax, disgusting 😠

[@sl4983]

Heard the school wasn't even open at the time. Hmm

[@Golflegend410]

@@sl4983Of course you did

[@sl4983]

@@Golflegend410 ?? What does that mean? That was dumb.

[@Golflegend410]

@@sl4983 You heard wrong. I knew one of the teachers very well at Sandy Hook and went to her funeral

[@sl4983]

@@Golflegend410 Who was it?

[@oopssitsciara]

crazy that it’s been 12 years. i was 10 when sandy hook happened, i cried for weeks because i was terrified. im so happy they are doing good and continuing their lives.

[@ilovethes-rr7kq]

it’s so crazy. I was the same age as them and now we’re about to graduate. I remember when this happened, everyone was so excited because it was Christmas break. It was a Friday and both of my parents picked up my siblings and I because after school we still had to get more presents. All of the parents were hugging their kid so tight. Other parents were talking to each other and crying. I was so confused I’m on what was going on. My siblings were older like around 12 years old so they knew the severity of the whole thing. It was usually one parent that picked us up but it was the both of them this time. They had such sad looks on their faces. Later that night we got pizza and everyone was just silent in the pizza place and it was usually so loud. Everyone was just fixated at the tv looking at the coverage. I remember my mom and another woman with tears in their eyes. I remember this day so clearly. It was the first time I realized why we practice lockdowns. I never knew a shooting could happen in a school. It breaks my heart that no change has been made. As class of 2024, none of us shall ever forget them.❤️

[@irememberla6460]

We have sadly become so immune to mass shootings. How time passes

[@kaykpegasus]

I remember this day so clearly. I will never forget. Those poor babies.

[@sleepypeep2112]

Older generations failed gen z and now they’re failing gen alpha. God bless these kids

[@firetrucksrule07]

Cant believe its already been 12 years since this. These children grow up to be what seems to soon be amazing adults. Thanks for sharing this with us. I went threw a school shooting myself, for me it was crazy and it took time to heal but its feels good to be able to talk about it for sure. Prayers for continued healing

[@scoutbraxton7420]

I was 11 and in 6th grade when this happened. I'll never forget it.

[@katelynbendinsky5080]

So sad. I still think about these young adults as the kids they were everyday. It seems like just yesterday, and it's so strange to know they're adults now.

[@cherryphoenix1601]

Gosh time flies. Happened my senior year.(Ironically) You could tell a change had occurred with the teachers. I was in the library as the aide and the librarian had told me. You could just tell the day had changed right before we went on winter break. Went home and watched the news and cried. Prayers for everyone.😢

[@marleystired]

and you guys still don’t want gun control???

[@ngm12mnn]

Conservatives don’t.

[@girlfromthebronxbywayofelb7288]

60 Senators and regain the House. We can get it done. The majority of the USA population supports comprehensive federal gun safety legislation. Vote 💙 up and down the ballot. Federal legislation can close the gaps in the patchwork of state to state laws. 💙🌊💙🌊 Up and down the ballot.

[@laurac9857]

No. That's not the source of the problem

[@SCRIPTURlENT]

3 million children are exposed to school shootings and you want to say guns aren’t the problem? Then what is?

[@victoriab98]

@@laurac9857then what is? 🤔

[@splash2849]

i’m around their age and i remember how intense being in school felt around that time. even tho we didn’t understand it at the time, making it to graduation was a blessing fr

[@EMKEN64]

My heart sinks to its lowest point watching these amazing young people… I feel so proud of them for how they’ve supported each other and survived this nightmare! I pray they are doing well…

[@iluvjohnny08]

One of the worst days in our history

[@jake9542]

I feel for them, I too was in first grade that fateful Friday and I too just graduated last week.

[@TheMisfits7783]

MY FATHER IN LAW PASSED THAT MORNING , I LIKE TO THINK THAT HE WAS THERE TO GUIDE AND CONFORT THEM ON THIER JOURNEY

[@emilyk1109]

I held myself together until I saw your comment, what a beautiful thought and a testimony to what a great person your FIL must've been.

[@Potato33370]

No more sorry’s. This nation needs action. It's embarrassing that we haven't acted but our government doesn't truly listen to us, they listen to money.

[@HeatherwithanH]

To be fair it’s one particular side of the government. The other side does want change but keeps getting blocked.

[@certifiedvibez]

Thank god these young people are finding careers where they can make actual changes in this country. This is what next generations need to be doing.

[@snakebitepellehue]

I had to read it twice because I couldn't believe how long it's been. I was a freshman in high school when this happened and now I'm 26.

[@kenzierivera4696]

I was a 4th or 5th grader when this happened and I watched it on the news before school. I still remember watching it like it was yesterday and the feelings I felt at school. I can’t believe nothing has changed 12 years later. It just keeps happening and it literally hurts my soul each time I see a new one.

[@ArdenAdams2125]

I was 9 years old when this tragedy took place, and I can remember my 4th grade teachers attempting to explain the magnitude of the event to me and my classmates. My young mind couldn't fully grasp the idea that someone could be so twisted to even think of carrying out something like that. Now, as a 21 year old heading into my senior year of college in the fall, it still shatters my heart to see that really nothing has changed, and that this kind of heinous act is so normalized. We need stricter laws on firearms, and we need to be doing more to protect students and teachers from this kind of violence.

[@RonSafreed]

Mass school shootings have occurred in the last 25 years!! Almost nothing for 392 years (1607-1999)??

[@pbj0815]

I hope they keep sharing and healing. Congratulations on your graduations! ✨

[@Thatgirlaways]

My own brothers were in two shootings at their schools and one time they came home crying because of the shooting 😢

[@PilotInCommand777]

My heart aches for all the loss due to this senseless act. These are AMAZING kids!

[@colleenobrien6303]

12 years and still no change.... Prayers for everyone , May God continue to bless y'all 🎉🎉❤

[@Mona939.]

You'd think we would have this under control but nope nothing has changed sadly

[@valorie444]

the government hates their own citizens

[@robertpalatsky5017]

I remember being a junior in high school wjem this happened. The thought of CHILDREN or really anyone, being murdered. It has to stop. My mom is a teacher, and I was a camp counselor for ten years. I can't even imagine if a gunman had done this in my town, killed people I knew and cared for. We need change. Dear god, Congress, DO YOUR JOB.

[@RonSafreed]

392 years (1607-1999) not much in school shootings but in the last 25 years, 'WHY'???

[@snowwhite2524]

Those poor kids. I hope that they are able to find peace, healing, and happiness.

[@arisol1011]

Honestly it's just upsetting. I watch Korean reaction channels that learn about this in the states and they r so shocked. The fact that hearing school shootings on the news now is nothing surprising anymore .... wat happened to the days when the only thing we had to worry about was a fire drill.

[@ca8944]

You people don’t care about inner city mass shootings.

[@idalyztorres7131]

i was the same age as these kids when it happened. i just remember being petrified of going to school. i work at a early childhood education center now and i would never ever want those kids to think how i thought when i was young :(

[@talicecue]

breaks my heart, I was in the third grade when sandy hooks occurred and I remember my mom breaking it down to me and every teacher at my school being more fearful after. hope the best for all of the survivors futures

[@ZeeMoneyMillionaire]

I feel for you guys fr! I too was a victim of gun violence in a drive by shooting at point blank range, and now when I hear loud bangs, I get startled like all hell. Congrats on graduating!

[@Benz5469]

Hopefully the parents of the kids that passed will also get diplomas for their innocent angels posthumously.

[@randomravenclaw7840]

I was 4 when this happened. My dad was in the Air Force, it haunted him enough that he's seldom touched a gun since. Poor kiddos . . . I'm sorry nothing has changed. 🕊️

[@lorenbarnes8721]

I was 16 actually doing a co op placement in a grade one classroom when this happened. Completely broke my heart 💔

[@mollym169]

I don’t get how we still have people like Alex jones and Marjorie Taylor green who have no sympathy towards this and refuse to make ANY change to guns

[@TheBasedCanadian]

Don't forget about druggie Hunter Bidens illegal gun

[@SCRIPTURlENT]

I guess gun laws are more important than lives. That’s why nothing is being done, they want to sweep it under the rug and move on

[@lunapasquale]

Wow do your research!!! That's A lie

[@mollym169]

@@lunapasquale Alex jones literally said the shooting didn’t happen and is the cause for those families being harassed by conspiracy theorists.

[@Cb20345]

@@lunapasquale You gonna end up in the exact same hell you wish upon others.

[@Rima27ify]

I was only 19 years old when i saw this on the news and it made me so sad that these were just little kids and me and my brother were telling each other that when we were kids in elementary school we were so excited for christmas break but its so sad for these kids they didnt get to go home to their parents for the holidays

[@desokie257]

I was 8 and remember being incredibly afraid to go to school for a long time. Now, I’m 20 and am constantly wary every time I’m in a lecture hall at university.

[@koyreyes]

How horrible to have to relive this over and over and over.

[@madrista1232]

Damn 12 years ago. I was in 8th grade and remember Elles’ interview 😢

[@VintageRed411]

We failed them.

[@palomamorales3781]

When the reporter mention Uvalde their whole facial expressions change, bc they feel the pain of this little kids that are going to deal with the same trauma like them , it broke my heart ❤️😢🙏

[@klymothe]

i was 7 when this happened. those sandy hook victims should be my age rn. absolutely heartbreaking. congrats to the graduates 🫶🏻

[@vsanchez7158]

I lost all hope after Sandy Hook when nothing changed. 😭😭😭😭😭

[@ShinbiBelldandy]

I was pregnant with my first child when the Sandy Hook shooting happened. As a Millennial, school shootings were nothing new unfortunately, but to see it with kids so young, was soul shredding. The fact that Congress refused to do anything after this tragedy with their families present makes me hate everything.

[@RonSafreed]

In 1774, England banned guns and gunpowder in colonial America & this ended our colonial history of America with a 8 year war and England almost won that war!!

[@jenniferscott2386]

I was in third grade when this happened, a week after my 9th birthday. I didn’t fully understand what happened till I got a little bit older. My heart goes out to these kids.

[@NextGhostFace]

12 years ago I was siting in my 7th grade English class. We were in the middle of a test when my teacher told us about this school shooting. We sat in silence for a few minutes; shocked about the news. After school was over I rushed to my former elementary school to pick up my siblings who were then the same age as the victims. I remember experiencing a heavy atmosphere at the school as parents, siblings, and family members picked up their kids. At dinner time I remember my mother getting emotional. She said to us “This Christmas these babies won’t be there with their families to open up their Christmas presents.” We all hugged our little ones extra close that day.

[@TamariZhane]

Was a freshman in high school. Congratulations to the graduates

[@mrxxbrian]

I recently drove by through my childhood schools and neighboring schools. The biggest change I noticed were how they've all transformed into prisons. Gate, fences, wiring all over. Security guards. We never had much of those back then.

[@ElizabethStone-TolcherJames]

That’s so sad. Here in Australia people can technically just walk into a school. Nothing bad ever really happens. The only issue we had once was because a dog got in the school.

[@hannajoint2002]

The elementary school I went to in my neighborhood is now all fenced around. As well as the high school I went too

[@NefariousEvildoer]

Yes, I went to visit my old high school recently (class of 2007) to drop off some posters for a fundraiser and there was gates and security cameras in front of the entrance, which definitely wasn't there when I was in school. Ironically, some students near the door let me in anyway, I hope they didn't get in trouble.

[@mgicllmgn6402]

May all those children who lives were taken away from them rest peacefully and may their families and classmates find some peace and happiness🙏🏽💐❤️‍🩹

[@Vanned-UpComedy]

Wow. How bittersweet. Seeing these kids now, knowing there are empty seats and grieving parents living parallel to these blossoming babies.

[@kab2599]

These young people are inspiring. Looking forward to them taking power and making changes ❤

[@Daydreamerr13]

Damn I was a freshman in hs when this happened

[@w1sh-l1st18]

same!

[@yaelfeder9042]

Me too! I remember what class I was in😢

[@barbielandtime8980]

The kid that told her to run was Jesse. They were in Mrs Soto and when he was reloading he told them to all run with saved 9 lives but sacrificed himself

[@fluttershypi]

i remember hearing about this when i was 8 years old. then i was 15 it happened at my school too. then i befriended some of the survivors at that vigil when i was 18. i am now 20 and the ptsd is forever.. i cannot imagine how it was for them especially at a young age. a service dog personally helped me. that classroom they are in would be very triggering and is triggering honestly to see. im so sorry for what they had to endure and see. the ptsd from this follows you everywhere.. im happy they are all making the best of their lives despite it all. i know how tough it is.

[@lcarson5071]

I was in 2nd grade when this happen. When I heard about it. I thought it was a one time thing and wouldn't happen again.

[@MsMOM34]

The shear impact of how time flies! I remember being 10 years old in 4th grade when this took place. Breaking news came out and every school in our district was put on lockdown! Even tho we were HOURS upon HOURS away from Connecticut, administration had to ensure the safety no matter what! My mom picked me up that day early and didn’t let me leave her sight until the next Monday at school! Terrifying time even for ppl not directly inside!!😭😭😭

[@user-ho7ek9gz4z]

I was in second grade and my brother was in fifth. I will never forget discussing this with my parents and classmates. It is truly so tragic and makes me cry every time it is talked about. I am now in college working towards my early childhood education degree but the thought of something like this happening in the classroom still haunts me today.

[@andrew.2304]

A experience that they’re never gonna forget 😢.

[@TheSithLord]

All those folks. I thought this would change things.

[@swanlove2002]

I was 10 years old and in 5th grade when this happened. At the time, my dad was telling me something along the lines of “be careful” and “there was a bad man in Connecticut who went to a school.” At first, I just treated it as the average “Oh, my parents are just telling me the do’s and don’t’s of school.” I don’t remember exactly when I learned the reality and severity of the situation, but I can say that things did change when I learned. I am now 21 turning 22, about to graduate with my master’s this fall semester (I graduated with my bachelor’s one year early). My grad school is the same college I got my bachelor’s in. During one of my undergraduate years, my college avoided a school shooting thanks to two students who anonymously reported the person making jokes about Columbine and “back to school shopping.” The US must stop making all these excuses and make changes to their gun laws.

[@RonSafreed]

For 392 years, (1607-1999) not much in mass school shootings, but only in the last 25 years & why???