Sandy Hook Victims to be Remembered at Local Memorial

Newtown’s state representative will join local religious leaders and anti-violence advocates at a memorial event Saturday in honor of the victims of last year’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

The vigil, to be held at Lutheran Church of Godʼs Love at 11 a.m., takes place on the one-year anniversary of the school shooting that killed 26 people.

The event is one of three in Pennsylvania and more than 50 nationwide organized by the Pennsylvania Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Six adults and 20 children were killed on Dec. 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.  The vigils, called “No More Silence,” will honor the Newtown victims and all victims of gun violence through bell ringing in lieu of a moment of silence.  The events will culminate in a communal bell ringing to honor the 26 victims.

State Representative Steve Santarsiero will join the grassroots group in its call to reduce gun violence. Additional speakers include Maureen Buckley, the regional manager of Moms Demand Action, and Rev. Stephen Heilakka of Sacred Paths Community.  

Bucks County violinist Claudia Pelligrini and pianist Keith Bakerand will perform during the memorial. The events are co-sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, CeaseFirePA, Bucks Safe.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created on Dec. 15, one day after the Sandy Hook shooting, to build support for common-sense gun reforms, according to its founders.

“What happened at Sandy Hook Elementary was an unimaginable tragedy for my family, and the families of all of the victims,” said Maura Sherlach Schwartz, a national spokesperson for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and daughter of Mary Sherlach, a school psychologist shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Lutheran Church of Gods Love is located 791 Newtown-Yardley Rd, Newtown.