Sandy Hook Shooting

Setting the scene

By 2012, the United States had already endured a long series of mass shootings, including Columbine, Virginia Tech, and the Aurora theater attack earlier that year. Yet elementary schools were still widely imagined as among the safest public spaces. Newtown, Connecticut, was a small suburban community, and Sandy Hook Elementary served very young children in kindergarten through fourth grade.

What happened

On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed his mother at home, then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School. He forced his way inside and killed 20 children, all six or seven years old, and six adult staff members before killing himself. Police arrived within minutes, but the attack unfolded quickly inside classrooms and hallways.

Why it still matters

Sandy Hook became one of the most emotionally powerful events in the modern U.S. gun-control debate, prompting proposals for expanded background checks, assault-weapons restrictions, school security changes, and mental-health reforms. It also generated conspiracy theories that led to harassment of victims' families and major defamation cases. Memorable detail: educator Victoria Soto was widely remembered for trying to shield her students during the attack.

Background

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting killed 20 children and six adult staff members in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.