No news story has bothered or affected me emotionally as much as the Sandy Hook shootings. None.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

There have been plenty of terrible news stories that have bothered me over the years. September 11th, the Boston bombings, the vast spate of mass shootings, the murders of Trayvon Martin and other unarmed individuals. The invasion of Iraq still infuriates me to no end.

But in terms of sheer emotional impact, none have affected as much as the events of December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. None.

It was quite possibly the most horrific, senseless, and overall incredibly sick thing I've seen come across the news desk. It was The Unspeakable. There was simply no rationale behind it at all. It was just a literal horror show.

I'm a grown man. I'd like to think I have a solid head on my shoulders. I believe I have a decent check on my emotions. I'm not overly sensitive. I don't cry at every sad story that comes across the news, as tragic as they are. If I did, I don't think I'd be able to stop crying, because terrible stuff is constantly happening in this world to lots of different people who don't deserve it.

But I did shed tears about Sandy Hook. You see, I'm the father of two young children and I simply could not stop putting myself in the position of the parents of those 20 first graders and trying to comprehend that sort of living nightmare that their lives have turned into. I think it would drive me crazy. I don't think I could do it. I kept on seeing those kids' faces over and over again, and then looking at my own kids.....

And then I saw the reaction of the gun enthusiast crowd to Sandy Hook, which was not to take a moment of solemn self-reflection, but instead to race to the nearest gun shop or gun show and snap up all the AR-15s because there was a chance maybe they couldn't get them as easily in the future. And it infuriated me and sickened me and angered me even more about the whole story.

So, yeah, I'm guilty of getting emotional about Sandy Hook. Just like the President.

And to all the conservatives out there taking cheap shots at the President because he, just like me, gets emotional over the Sandy Hook story, think on this for a moment: You haven't spent any time talking to the parents who lost their children in that massacre. Neither have I.

The President has. He's become intimately familiar with each of those families and I'm sure both he and those families would wish everything that it would not be the case. But it is.

So do us all a favor and crawl back to the caves from which you came.

[MeNMyVolt]

1. I'm not a father and Sandy Hook made me gasp for air.

And cry. I sadly recommend this post.

[Bluzmann57]

2. Me too.

I have a (now) seven year old daughter and live directly across the street from an elementary school. I remember thinking that if something unthinkable like that happened at that school, would I be able to offer sanctuary to any of the kids if needed? and other stuff.
I am also not completely anti gun, but Sandy Hook was just heinous. Little kids for christs sake. Kids who did nothing to justify what happened when a madman came in and shot the place up. But, like you, I was even more disgusted by the pos gun nuts reaction to it. And like you, I say fuck you NRA. Ok, you say it more eloquently than I ever could or would. Thank you for posting this and make sure you give your kids an extra hug from me tonight before bedtime. As I will give my daughter an extra special hug from you. Take care my friend and let's keep up the good fight.

[lamp_shade]

3. No words... just thank you.

[Lil Missy]

4. *sniff!*

[yardwork]

5. I'm right there with you.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. My daughter was in first grade at the time

Same age as those murdered children.

I despise the gunner trash with a deep and burning passion that will never dissipate.

[MerryBlooms]

7. The rush to buy more guns after every horrible tragedy is nauseating.

It's not just mass murder that causes them to buy, it's any major disaster, whether it's man made or natural. It's what they do... guns are their security blanket.

[spanone]

8. it made a lot of people go out and buy guns. that's the country we are.

Sandy Hook Shooting Sparks Gun Sales Surge

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. has sparked a surge in gun sales, according to independent arms dealers across the nation.

Larry Hyatt, owner of North Carolina-based Hyatt Gun Shop, which claims to be America’s largest independently owned gun store, said he had a line out the door on Saturday, forcing him to call in extra salespeople.

“We already have tons of customers because of Christmas, hunting season is peaking right now, and not to mention, the election,” Hyatt said. “But this tragedy is pushing sales through the roof,” he added. “It’s like putting gasoline on a fire.”

After high-profile shootings, debate over gun control can cause consumer demand for guns to rise, government records have shown. Industry experts say fears that stricter laws will follow such incidents push people to stock up on firearms before regulators can clamp down. But last weekend’s spike in business was unprecedented, gun shop owners in California, Connecticut and North Carolina told HuffPost.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/sandy-hook-shooting-gun-sales_n_2317522.html

[madinmaryland]

9. The Sandy Hook shootings bothered me, but 9/11 affected me the most...

Mainly because I worked just blocks away from the WTC. The sight and sound of the second plane hitting the WTC is engrained into my and will never be forgotten. Seeing the darkness descend on lower Manhattan (I was on 75 Wall Street) as each of the towers collapsed and knowing that there were probably people I knew were still in there is something that is not easy to forget. I "recognized" all of those nearly 3,000 pictures of people who worked in the towers, even though I didn't know them. They could have been someone I met on a train, subway, ahead of me at the Deli or Pizza joint, or just walking past them on the street.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. Rough. nt

[LanternWaste]

22. I think I'd need therapy had I witnessed either incident.

I simply cannot imagine the sights, sounds and smells that assaulted you that day. I like to think I have a creative and colorful imagination. On an academic level, I accept that they happened, but often the visceral side of me quickly over-powers and rejects their existence. Both 9-11 and Sandy Hook qualify for that.

I'm only guessing, but I think I'd need therapy-- lots of it, had I witnessed either incident.

[closeupready]

25. Wow.

I remember a few years after 9/11, one of the networks showed a 9/11 documentary "from inside the WTC", and I was still so angry that I had to go for a walk when it came on TV. I was actually scared at the strength of my emotions being stirred up by some TV show - it was just too much.

Peace to you.

[AlinPA]

10. I firmly believe that many of the GOP House members and GOP Senators did not feel sad about this

shooting.

[CrispyQ]

19. They lack empathy.

Unless it happens to them or someone they care for, it doesn't matter. They are the worst kind of humans there are. The repub party is so repugnant that I've stopped socializing with people who I know are repubs. My mom used to say you shouldn't let politics divide you, but a person's political bent tells me a lot about how they view the world & other people.

[Skittles]

29. of course they felt sad

they thought it might affect their free-to-gun-hump-at-all-costs status

[Hekate]

11. The Brits have a term for it: Manly tears. That's what I saw on the President's face.

All those stories about the stiff upper lip and showing no untoward emotion -- there's a place in there for the tears of strong men overcome by grief.

How the GOP Congress can claim manhood when they can't be bothered to try to protect little children is beyond me. Oh, go buy another gun.

[Little Star]

12. I feel the same.

[DawgHouse]

13. Sandy Hook is the worst tragedy I can remember.

I was especially touched by little Noah. I have a twin brother myself and thinking about what it would have been like to lose him in first grade makes me cry.

[smirkymonkey]

14. I'm not a parent, but I am an Aunt to 8 nieces and nephews.

many who were a few ages give or take of the Sandy Hook Children. Some of who even looked very much like them. I know that I would never be as devastated as my siblings, but I would have been devastated beyond belief. So no, I cannot imagine the horror of going through something like that and surviving it emotionally.

It makes me sick that any gun humper would use that tragedy for their own political gain. I have no problem with the families of the dead using it for theirs. They, after all, have a very, very good reason.

[mountain grammy]

15. Thank you for saying what's in my head

much better than I ever could...

[RockaFowler]

17. I'm still emotional about it

And it infuriates me when people claim that it was a hoax. Those are the worst people imaginable.

The people who claimed that the President faked his tears yesterday are just horrible people inside and out. He's a father first. He cried when he heard the news originally. The nation was aghast that this could happen (except the truthers out there).

[lapislzi]

18. Well said. As the co-worker and friend of a Sandy Hook parent

I can assure you that "we" (the first ring of "survivors" around this tragedy) are not over it. We will likely never be. No amount of counseling or prayer will ever fix us, although sometimes they help. I still hang the "free hugs" sign outside my office door, and I have enough takers, most days.

My colleague and I work in a very small company. Everyone cares deeply about everyone else. And nobody is even close to being over this. It has affected us, and our company, in ways that cannot be imagined. There is fallout every single day. Each of us does our best, in our own way, to support our colleague, but it is never easy.

It's not like a bullet that travels in a straight line. The fallout is like a vicious net that ensnares everyone within its reach. We no longer speak of IT--or, when we must, we simply refer to it as "It" or "the tragedy." Words have failed. Relationships have frayed. The spaces between words are fraught with pain, anger, and guilt. Sometimes hope, which we draw from our colleague who continues to assure us--despite all evidence to the contrary--of his belief that the arc of the universe does indeed bend toward justice. Some are coping better than others, but no one will ever be the same.

This is not an abstraction for me, or for the people I know. This is something we live through every day. I imagine it is the same for every person close to one of these terrible tragedies. For them, it's The One. Our club is getting bigger.

I applaud the President for his efforts to keep it from getting even bigger, even faster.

Peace to all.

[RiverLover]

36. Thank you for sharing this.

And I'm so very sorry for your community. Stay strong.

[laundry_queen]

38. I remember your post

I think it was that day or the day after, where you mentioned your co-worker had children at that school, and he left as fast as anyone could humanly go... and to pray for him...and I did. And to find out later that it was one of his kids that lost their life deeply affected me. My youngest daughter was nearly the same age - 3 months away from being 6.

With my older kids I was a stay at home parent. We always lived close to their schools - if they needed me I was there in 2 minutes. But due to divorce I had to go back to school/work when my youngest was not yet 3 and I now work quite far away from where she goes to school. And it tears me apart to think I couldn't get to her as quickly. So I really appreciate her when I get home now. I always snuggle her and make an extra special effort to let her know that my very favorite part of the day is when I get home and get to sit down and talk and snuggle with her. I'm not sure I would appreciate that homecoming every day quite as much if not for your posting about your co-worker. How blessed am I to get to come home to my daughter every day? She's nearly 9, and I'm not sure how much longer she'll want snuggles...but I'd like to thank you for your posts to remind me to spend this extra time with my daughter while I can. Life is just too short.

I'm quite anti-gun. Have been for more than a couple of decades. My anti-gun debating began the demise of a large parenting site back in the day. I called out someone on something they said that I thought was hypocritical about guns. I try to do the same here and in real life. I bring up guns often. I won't be stopping that any time soon. Spoke about it at work today, in fact. I'm lucky to be living in a country that has common sense gun laws so it's easier. I want the same for my American friends - common sense gun laws that is. Knowing that Sandy Hook is not some abstract American tragedy (as often happens here in Canada...'crazy Americans and their guns' is usually what is said in the lunch room on those days when the school shootings are on the lunch room tv) and directly affected people that I have contact with here at DU makes me even more resolute in my fight against those who care more about things than people.

Take care.

[Tab]

20. I've been living long enough that I've seen the escalating tragedy

Yes, Sandy Hook made me very sad, and yes, I'm a father, and yes, I can only pretend to imagine what would go through my head as a parent if my child was exposed to that sick situation.

Yes, Sandy Hook makes me sad. But most of all it makes me irate. The fact that this happens to begin with and then nothing is done about it ("don't politicize it", "it's too soon", "have respect&quot really pisses me off. And more time goes by, there's a another ridiculous shooting, and it never stops. I am pissed off that we as a country find this acceptable overall. I think most Americans abhor it, but they do nothing to vote against it. Of course, those who have the most to win will be the most agressive in the fight, and in this case it's the NRA and like-minded isolationists. It should be America that has the most to win by fighting it, but oddly enough, Sandy Hook wasn't enough. What will it take to for us to not only say that we won't take it any more, but we actually actively support our politicians in enacting better policies? Actually we need to disarm the semi-auto assault weapons with high-capacity magazines. The word "disarmament" plays right into the "Obama's going to take our guns away", but yes, that's probably what's going to need to happen because no one needs a semi-auto assault rifle with high capacity magazines except maybe the police and military (and that's military - not a "well-regulated" "militia" (because they don't seem to take regulation very well either).

We might not have needed to reach this position but gun control has been a problem since early on. Previous efforts to stop us from getting to this situation have been strongly resisted by the gun lobby, so now it's more of a "we've tried to let you be responsible and be safe, but apparently that's not happening and so now we'll have to take your toys away". Just like with children.

[lame54]

21. there is one...

the Sandy Hook deniers who accuse the families of the diseased of lying and that their kids are not real

[Nay]

23. My grandson was six at the time and I did little but feel sick for nearly 3 months.

This country is one sick m******r.

[oberliner]

24. 2014 Peshawar school massacre

On 16 December 2014, seven gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The militants, all of whom were foreign nationals, included one Chechen, three Arabs and two Afghans. They entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children,[8][6] killing 141 people, including 132 schoolchildren, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Peshawar_school_massacre

Scary that these sorts of things happen so frequently all over the world.

[Hoyt]

26. Where I live, the news had photos of gun lovers lined up the weekend after Sandy Hook to

buy a rifle like the murderer used. I could not believe people could be that callous and why we tolerate this junk.

[randys1]

27. Well stated

[rurallib]

28. When I heard about Sandy Hook we were in our car

doing some Christmas shopping.
I pulled the car to the side of the road and cried.
Then I called our daughter and asked her to be sure to give the grandson a special hug from us that day and we both cried.

So yep, I get emotional also about Sandy Hook.

[mrmpa]

30. I was driving from Pittsburgh to New York City...........

the day this happened. I was with my then 21 year old nephew to spend a holiday weekend in NYC. We heard the first reports of the shooting on MSNBC, the old Ed Schultz show.

We listened as the number of victims grew throughout the reporting. What we noticed that weekend in NYC, was that all the kids we saw with their parents were very quiet and the parents kept their children close.

That's what we came away with, the impact this massacre had on kids and parents in NYC.

[FSogol]

31. K&R. n/t

[Matrosov]

32. It's the fault of controllers

If you gun grabbers wouldn't stand in the way of elementary carry, those kids could've been armed, and the shooting would've never happened. Preteens with guns could've stopped this whole mess.

[GreenEyedLefty]

34. “I know karate. So it’s okay. I’ll lead the way out.”

[RiverLover]

35. My late mother called me after Sandy Hook, and said she felt guilty for bringing us kids into

such a world where this could happen. We both cried. She was my only liberal ally in my immediate family.

I miss her.

And my heart aches for those sweet toddlers gunned down in a closet. There aren't words

Still makes me tear up...no onion needed.

[grntuscarora]

37. The Nickel Mine massacre was my watershed moment.

Perhaps it toughened me to later events. By the time of Newtown, while heartbroken, I was no longer shocked. Just deeply angry.

Jesus. This country is fucking sick.

Thank you Mr. President for at least trying to do something about it!

[anniebelle]

39. I thought this one would stop this madness.

I truly thought this would get to even the most crazed gun nut/amurikin, but, NO. I don't know what it's going to take for people in this country to come to their senses. I hope the young people will get out and vote this year and we can finally get these neo-nazi's out of office. Thankfully, the die-hard 2nd Amendment crazies are dying off and will be replaced by people with more developed brains. That's all I ask for ~ rational thinking, for god's sake.

[Gawdless Pinko Lib]

40. The lack of reaction to it among our elected "representatives"

Pure cowardice!

[world wide wally]

41. On Sept 11, I knew the world was changed

When Sandy Hook happened, I saw what it had changed to.