HARTFORD, Conn. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Flags in Connecticut will fly at half-staff on Wednesday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday directed U.S. and state flags across Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, which marks a decade since 20 children and six educators were killed in the shooting in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012.
“The tragedy that occurred on this date ten years ago is one of the worst in our state’s history,” the governor said in a statement Tuesday. “Our hearts will forever be with the twenty innocent and gentle young children whose lives were taken all too soon, and the six courageous and devoted educators who lost their lives in protection of the students they heroically guarded.”
“I continue to pray for their families and friends that they are blessed with peace and love,” Lamont continued. “In the days that followed this horrific tragedy, Connecticut witnessed an almost overwhelming outpouring of love and light from all over the world that sought to drive out the hate and darkness and replace it with kindness and humanity. It was a gentle reminder of the incredible amount of goodness that exists in the world.”
Lamont urged every person in the state “to honor those who lost their lives in this tragedy by performing unsolicited acts of kindness for others, bringing comfort and compassion to those who need it, and dedicating ourselves to being sources of love, healing, hope, and joy, not just on this anniversary, but every day.”
Lamont on Tuesday also said the state and federal governments need to do more to prevent the next mass shooting.
The governor proposed new gun legislation for the new year, including cracking down on illegal handguns that continue to be smuggled into Connecticut from other states.
Lamont also wants to go after ghost guns assembled from kits that have no serial numbers.
He’s also indicated he wants to close a loophole regarding assault rifles. Connecticut banned the sale of AR-15 semiautomatic rifles after Sandy Hook but grandfathered existing owners. Lamont now wants to end that exemption. Seizing guns from owners could be a thorny issue for lawmakers, and they’re waiting to see precisely what the governor proposes.
In mid-November, a memorial to the 26 victims opened near the new elementary school built to replace the one torn down after the shooting, which remains the deadliest grade school shooting in U.S. history.
Here are the names of the students and educators being remembered:
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
Ana Márquez-Greene, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6
Rachel D'Avino, 29 (behavior therapist)
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47 (principal)
Anne Marie Murphy, 52 (special education teacher)
Lauren Rousseau, 30 (teacher)
Mary Sherlach, 56 (school psychologist)
Victoria Leigh Soto, 27 (teacher)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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