Gun Deaths In America: Newtown Marks 4th Anniversary Of Sandy Hook Massacre

Four years after 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire on dozens of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School—killing 20 students and six teachers, as well as himself and his mother—the community of Newtown, Connecticut, mourned the anniversary of the massacre Wednesday with moments of quiet reflection, prayers and flags flown at half-staff.

Businesses posted signs informing visitors of a 15-minute period of silence from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m., while the Newtown Interfaith Association led a prayer service at local public schools. Counseling centers extended their hours for those in need of comfort, the News-Times in Danbury, Connecticut​ reported.

The town has been vocal in recent years about working toward an end to gun violence. In the wake of the election of National Rifle Association-endorsed candidate Donald Trump and a Republican-dominated Congress, many Newtown activists are honing in on a grassroots effort to elect state-level politicians who favor gun control and mental health measures.

“We’re pivoting to the states and to American businesses and saying, ‘OK, when Congress won’t protect constituents, it’s up to state lawmakers and companies to protect their constituents and customers,” Shannon Watts, who created the advocacy group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting, told the Washington Post. “It’s a proven, effective strategy and [a] winning strategy. And we’re going to keep at it as long as it takes—to point Congress and the Supreme Court in the direction the nation is headed in.”

The advocacy group Sandy Hook Promise has taken its effort to social media, where it won attention with a viral video warning of the consequences of overlooking the behavior of potential shooters.

“Gun violence is preventable,” text at the end of the video states, “when you know the signs.”

Activists saw a major victory on the mental health front Monday, when President Barack Obama signed a sweeping health bill that included provisions for boosted mental health support. Congress had passed it by a vote of 94 to 5.