Tomorrow is 12/14. Consider a moment of reflection at 9:30 ET. And consider an act of kindness to remember Newtown.
— @DemFromCT
WaPo:
Newtown and Aurora in 2012. The Empire State Building in 1997. South Capitol Street in 2010. Loved ones of victims of prominent and less-known shootings lighted candles, prayed, sang and called for legislative action Thursday during a vigil at Washington National Cathedral aimed at stemming gun violence.
Many of the 800 people inside the cavernous Northwest cathedral were gun-control advocates, including rabbis, imams, priests, teenagers who lost friends, and parents who lost children. The crowd seated in rows of wooden chairs included two busloads from Newtown, Conn., where one year ago Saturday a massacre of 26 children and staff took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Here in CT, there will be a moment of reflection today at 9:30 am ET.
CSM:
A year after school shooting, Newtown to mark day with 'acts of kindness'
Residents of Newtown, Conn., hope to avoid the intense media scrutiny that came a year ago Saturday, after the school shooting that shocked the world. Their focus will be on reflection, healing, and kindness.
Lydia DePillis:
A year ago Saturday, the dialogue around guns in America changed: The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., mobilized more people in a more sustained way than any such tragedy had before it. At least, that's what gun-control advocates sensed. But it wasn't enough to get anything done on Capitol Hill, and since then, Brian Malte, mobilization director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, has overseen efforts in dozens of states to strengthen gun-control laws and has more in the works for 2014. In the meantime, he says, work on the federal level is still very much underway. I spoke with Malte about those efforts. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Al Tompkins:
Should journalists stay away from Newtown this weekend?
Yes, they should. And most are. But this Poynter piece is nicely balanced as to why.
More politics and policy below the fold.
Ever wonder how this recovery would be proceeding without the large Keynesian boost to govt spending?
Wonder no more:
http://t.co/...
— @JustinWolfers
Michael Cohen:
Of course, what made Newtown so uniquely awful was that the victims were young children. But, in the year since Newtown, children continue to die from gun violence at a terrifying clip. According to a recent report from Mother Jones, 194 kids have been gunned down since last year. It's an appalling number, but it may actually underestimate the problem. Two Boston-based researchers believe that as many as 500 children and teenagers die every year (and 7,500 are hospitalized) due to firearms.
As if to add insult to unspeakable tragedy, rarely is anyone punished when a child dies in this manner.
NBC News:
Families and friends of the 26 people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School gathered Thursday in the nation's capital to honor their loved ones through a solemn vigil and volunteer work nearly one year after the Newtown massacre.
Relatives of other gun violence victims from cities across the country joined the Connecticut group on a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., to highlight the annual deaths of tens of thousands of people by firearms.
Their visit was capped by a vigil at the National Cathedral to remember victims of gun violence nationwide. Before the service began, the cathedral's bell rang for three minutes to represent the lives claimed by firearms every year. More than 700 well-wishers, including family of those slain at Sandy Hook on Dec. 14, 2012, filled the cathedral, with many wearing green ribbons to symbolize the school.
Center for American Progress:
The Gun Debate 1 Year After Newtown
Assessing Six Key Claims About Gun Background Checks
We're also finding that few Americans think Santa is 'verifiably white'
— @ppppolls