On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7, at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, about 65 miles northeast of New York City. The gunman, Adam Lanza, 20, killed himself inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The killing spree had begun earlier at the house where Mr. Lanza had lived with his mother, Nancy Lanza, who was a gun enthusiast. There, he shot her in the face, making her his first victim. One of her guns was apparently used to take her life, authorities said. Then, leaving her dead after taking three guns that belonged to her, he climbed into her car for the short drive to the school. Two of the guns were semiautomatic pistols; the other was a semiautomatic rifle. Once Mr. Lanza had forced his way in, wearing combat gear, the massacre unfolded with chilling speed, as he opened fire in one classroom and then another. In the wake of the killings, the debate on gun control has been revived. President Obama’s first words in response to the shootings were cautious and were immediately criticized for being too timid. But they may have set the stage for reopening the gun debate. Former classmates described Adam Lanza as an enigma, a loner who was intelligent but quiet and socially awkward. The mass shooting is the second deadliest in American history, after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, which claimed 32 lives. This is a devstating event in American history.
Source: NY TIMES
