Sandy Hook Promise Releases Powerful Documentary from Victims' Families for Anniversary of Shooting

From Tim Makris, Sandy Hook Promise:

In two days, we’ll mark the second anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary that claimed the lives of 20 children and six educators and left a gaping, permanent hole in our community.

Since Dec. 14, 2012, all of us at Sandy Hook Promise have learned much about the roots and causes of gun violence – and the devastation it leaves behind. But above all else, we now know that every gun-related death is a preventable death.

We also know that behind the terrible statistics – 2,500 children were killed by gun violence last year alone – are families like ours: families torn apart, reliving their worst nightmares day after day; families hoping their child didn’t suffer and agonizing over what they might have done; families determined to spare others their unspeakable loss.

Sandy Hook Promise spoke at length with three of those families. We captured these conversations on film, producing a short documentary that is equal parts chilling, sad, and frustrating – because each of these tragic deaths might have been prevented if someone had spoken up, securely stored their firearm, or known how to recognize and respond to a dangerous situation.

We need as many people as possible to watch and share this short documentary so that we as parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends can watch for concerning behavior and protect all our children. In honor of our tragic anniversary, please watch and share now – because by raising awareness, you may literally save lives.

Click here to watch our Sandy Hook Promise documentary “What They Left Behind” about the heart-wrenching impact of gun violence on three families and how it may have been prevented. Then, share it with as many friends and loved ones as you can.

As our own Mark Barden, Daniel’s father, says in the film, our responsibility as parents transcends our own children; we also need to look out for our neighbors and their children. Sometimes a voice from outside will notice and bring light to something almost too close for a family to see.

This is why, despite tragedy after tragedy and statistics that keep rising, there is hope: There is something – many things – we can do to stop this awful epidemic and make lasting change.

Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something program empowers parents and children to speak up if they see a threat. Our Know The Signs program is giving schools and communities the tools to spot problems before tragedies occur. And our Keep It Safe & Secure program is working to keep firearms locked up and out of the hands of children and teens.

In other words, we’re not willing to throw up our hands and say the problem is just too big or simply accept regular heartbreak as the norm – and we know you’re not either.

So please, watch “What They Left Behind” now and help spread the word so we can prevent future tragedies.

Please hug the children in your life extra tight this Sunday – as I will – and keep safe this holiday season. And if you’re at all concerned by anything you see, say something. It’s the single best thing you can do as a friend, as a neighbor, and as a parent.

Thank you so much for your continued love and support – it truly means the world to all of us at Sandy Hook Promise.

Sincerely,

Tim Makris
Executive Director
Sandy Hook Promise