Newtown Action Alliance Marks 13 Years Since Sandy Hook Amid New Tragedies at Brown University and Abroad
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2025
Contact:
John Kelley
917-679-6475
jkelley@newtownaction.org
Newtown Action Alliance Marks 13 Years Since Sandy Hook Amid New Tragedies at Brown University and Abroad
Newtown, CT – Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a day that forever changed Newtown, Connecticut, and the nation. It comes just days after the 13th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence, held Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and in the immediate aftermath of yet another shooting at Brown University and a mass shooting in Australia that claimed multiple lives.
This painful convergence of remembrance, advocacy, and fresh tragedy underscores the relentless reality of gun violence in America—and the deep trauma carried by survivors.
Statement from Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance
“On Wednesday night, we gathered for the 13th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence to honor lives lost, support survivors, and recommit ourselves to ending this crisis. Among those who performed was Mia Tretta, a gunshot survivor of the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita—a young woman who turned unimaginable trauma into strength, music, and healing.
Just a few days later, Mia found herself once again sheltering in place at Brown University, hiding from gunfire, reliving the terror no one should ever have to experience twice.
That is the cruel reality of gun violence in America.
Thirteen years ago today, my neighbor used an AR-15 to hunt and murder 26 children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Since then, more than 1.3 million Americans have been shot and wounded or killed, and more than half a million people have lost their lives to gun violence. There have been more than 5,800 mass shooting incidents since Sandy Hook. Survivors are not only forced to carry lifelong physical and emotional scars—they are repeatedly retraumatized by a system that refuses to protect them.
Mia’s story connects the dots in the most devastating way. A survivor who stood on a national stage Wednesday night, using her voice to honor others lost to gun violence, was forced back into survival mode days later. This is not an anomaly. This is what happens when gun violence is allowed to continue unchecked.
We hold a national vigil every year because there is no single day that captures the enormity of this crisis. Gun violence does not pause for anniversaries. It does not respect campuses, classrooms, or places of reflection. It follows survivors wherever they go.
The shooting at Brown University, coming just days after our vigil and on the anniversary of Sandy Hook, is a brutal reminder that thoughts, prayers, and remembrance alone are not enough. We must honor victims—and survivors—with bold action.
Congress must act now to pass comprehensive gun control laws, including an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, safe storage requirements, investments in community violence intervention programs, and repealing the gun industry’s civil liability shield. Guns should be regulated with the same seriousness and accountability as motor vehicles—because lives depend on it.
Thirteen years later, the question is not whether we know what to do. It is whether we have the courage to do it.
Enough is enough.”
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Newtown Action Alliance (https://www.newtownactionalliance.org/) is a Newtown-based, national grassroots organization formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Our mission is to achieve the steady and continuous reduction of gun violence through legislative and cultural changes.