Cheryl Girardi, of Middletown, Conn., kneels beside 26 teddy bears, each representing a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, at a sidewalk memorial, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children.(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Over 175 people had their lives cut short by gun violence this year in Connecticut.
And while they may be lost, one local organization is making sure that those lives are not forgotten and that Connecticut continues to be in the forefront of the fight against gun violence.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence, or CAGV, is holding a vigil Monday to honor all that have suffered from gun violence.
The event, which will be held virtually, also marks the eighth anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 26 students and educators were killed.
“While we honor the victims of Sandy Hook, we are also making sure that we don’t forget about other people’s lives that are affected by gun violence on a daily basis,” said Jeremy Stein, executive director of CAGV. “We need to make sure that we are also focusing on communities that exist in places like New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport who are experiencing gun violence on a daily basis.”
The CAVG was founded in 1993 and has since lobbied for some of the strongest gun laws in the country, including the original ban on assault weapons.
Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, CAGV along with lawmakers helped to enact universal background checks and a limit on large-capacity magazines.
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“We know that strong gun laws work and as a result of Connecticut’s strong gun laws, we have some of the lowest gun death rates in the country but it’s not enough,” said Stein. “We have to continue to do more, we have to continue to support black and brown communities. We have to continue to support efforts to make our communities safer.”
The event will be live-streamed here beginning at 9 a.m. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal are scheduled to be in attendance.
Also on the list of speakers is Janet Rice, whose son Shane Oliver was shot and killed in Hartford in 2012.
