For the parents of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims, every day of the last 10 years has been a readjustment.
鈥淭en years of struggle, of triumph, of hard work, of reprioritizing, maintaining focus on my marriage and my role as a father,鈥� said Mark Barden, the father of Daniel Barden.
While Barden is focused on his family, he鈥檚 also focused on gun safety. As co-founder and CEO of , Barden has channeled his pain into action.
鈥淲e set out on a simple mission to quite simply prevent other families from having to endure a lifetime of pain caused by preventable gun violence,鈥� Barden said.
He works with Nicole Hockley, who is also a co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise. The mother of Dylan Hockley said she has seen a lot of positive change over the last decade.
鈥淲hat I鈥檝e seen over the last 10 years is it is not only a concerted focus on school safety and the need to improve it, but really also a focus on trauma and the wellness of kids everywhere and the application of more student voice,鈥� Hockley said.
So despite continued school shootings like Parkland and Uvalde, Hockley and Barden said there鈥檚 been progress.
鈥淎ll these organizations have come to life and have grown larger and stronger in these 10 years, and the public support has grown significantly, if not exponentially,鈥� Barden said.
But Barden said he understands why it may seem like nothing has changed.
鈥淲hen hear people say ... 鈥業f nothing happened after Sandy Hook, nothing鈥檚 going to happen,鈥欌�� Barden said, 鈥淚 understand that frustration. People want to see more action at the federal level.鈥�
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鈥淚t鈥檚 not about divisive politics. It鈥檚 not about rights or freedoms. It鈥檚 about protecting our kids and making our community safer,鈥� Barden said.
He said action has already started. Barden pointed to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was co-sponsored by Murphy. The new law enhances background checks for those under the age of 21, financially supports the implementation of red flag laws while cracking down on gun trafficking, and invests in mental health services and school safety funding.
鈥淲e never had enough Republican partners in order to pass the law, but we were recruiting more and more year after year,鈥� Murphy said.
He said there鈥檚 also movement on the state level, including in 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥満诹铣怨贤�, right now, is in the process of improving its red flag laws. It just passed an update and we now need to put that into action,鈥� Murphy said.
For Po Murray, this is encouraging news. She too has dedicated the last decade to gun safety.
鈥淣early a decade ago, my neighbor used an assault rifle and high-capacity magazines to kill 20 children and six educators in Sandy Hook Elementary School. And at that point, I decided that I needed to do something,鈥� Murray said.
Murray, a mother of four children who now leads the , said the last 10 years have been exhausting. While she applauds the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, she wants to see more action.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough. We need to pass the assault weapons ban, the universal background check bill and the federal version of Ethan鈥檚 Law that was passed in 黑料吃瓜网 to keep kids safe from unsecured guns,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淎nd we need more funding for community violence intervention programs, more money for gun violence research.鈥�
Murray said what has changed over the last decade is the conversation. She鈥檚 noticed more people are listening to gun safety advocates, while some of the louder voices like the NRA have softened.
"The majority of Americans are supporting gun safety measures that we spoke of, assault weapons ban, background checks, Ethan鈥檚 Law for safe storage and other measures,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only on Capitol Hill where a small fraction of elected officials are not supporting the measures that we support.鈥�
But Murray, like Hockley and Barden, is not deterred. As they look at the coming years and mark 10 years since an unthinkable tragedy, they鈥檙e choosing hope.
To hear more from Murray, Hockley and Barden, be sure to watch , which airs Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. on CPTV.
