On the recordDecember 17, 2012
Over the weekend, like so many Americans, I tried to process the news of this horrible shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. There simply is no way to understand what could lead an individual to want to inflict that much harm and pain on so many innocent lives. As I dealt with a range of emotions that surfaced not just as a Member of Congress but as a father and grandfather, I could not help but shake the feeling that there is more we could have done as a legislators to prevent this tragedy. More that could have been done to help the shooter get the mental health treatment he so desperately needed. More that could have done to prevent such a powerful weapon from getting into the hands of a troubled soul. More that could have been done to protect the children of Newtown, Connecticut. Today, I too pray for their community and those who lost their lives on Friday. Today, I pray . . . but tomorrow, I vow to return to this Chamber and fight every day so that no other community has to deal with this gun madness. May God bless the victims, their families and the people of Newtown, Connecticut.
