Stop the School Shooting

For Immediate Release:

Republican Congressman Chris Smith says that he feels sorry for the victims of the recent spate of gun violence. We are tired of politicians "feeling sorry"! We demand action right now! This do-nothing Congress has sat around avoiding the issue of gun control for too long.

Since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook in December of 2012 there have been 74 school shootings. Just this year we have already had 37 shootings on school grounds. What more does this Congress need? How many innocent lives have been lost since Chris Smith took office over 30 years ago. Yet Smith has opposed universal background checks, and has done nothing to ban the sale of assault rifles, like the one used earlier this week in Portland. As many of you know, I have promised not to sell myself to special interest groups like the NRA.

I will stand up to powerful lobbyists and dedicate myself to taking assault rifles and other dangerous weapons off the street. I will fight to make sure that background checks, waiting periods and limits on the sale of all guns becomes the law throughout this entire country. I ask that you do what's right to protect our children on November 4th and vote Scolavino for Congress.

LETS STOP SCHOOL SHOOTINGS NOW!!!!!

#scolavino4congress
#congressionalchallenge

President Obama's Weekly Address 12/14/13: Marking the One-Year Anniversary of the Tragic Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama honored the memories of the 26 innocent children and educators who were taken from us a year ago in Newtown, Connecticut.

Our hearts have ached for far too long

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:



One year ago, a murderer walked into an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut and killed 20 elementary school children and six adults – a massacre made possible only by the rapid-fire arms he carried with him.

In the days afterward, many expressed resolve to change our laws to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again. And then nothing happened. A very modest gun safety bill was blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The Republican leadership in the House refused to allow even a single vote on gun safety legislation.

The horrific news of a school shooting today in Colorado reminds us of just how little progress we have made.

In the days after the Sandy Hook tragedy, I wrote, “We can’t just keep saying, ‘Our hearts ache for the victims and their families.’ We have to bring gun violence under control.”

In the year since then, about 30,000 more people have died by gunfire in homicides, suicides, and accidents. And so I say again: Our hearts have ached for far too long. We have to bring gun violence under control.

This Budget Was a Bad Deal

Yesterday the House passed, over my objections, a so-called budget compromise that sets funding levels for federal programs for next two years.

It was a compromise in a narrow, Washington kind of sense: It got some votes from Democrats and some votes from Republicans. But in a truer sense, it was no compromise at all. It was based on the framework of “sequestration” – the harsh, unthinking spending cuts demanded by the Tea Party in 2011, when they held hostage America’s credit rating by threatening to default on our debts.

No real compromise was possible in those 2011 negotiations because they were conducted in the midst of a hostage crisis. And no compromise is possible today because we are still operating within the framework created by that hostage crisis. To unwind a small portion of draconian cuts that were illegitimately imposed is hardly a compromise at all.

Sequestration has cut research, education, infrastructure, Medicare, and a number of other critical investments that are vital to a growing economy. It is robbing America of the opportunity to rise from the Great Recession as a stronger, more vibrant nation.

The question we should ask ourselves is, "Where are we trying to go as a country?" We should be striving toward an optimistic future – one where we invest in research, education, infrastructure, and more. By that measure, this budget was a bad deal....



Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

The Other 60 Percent

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:



Since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School brought renewed national attention to preventing gun violence, at least 2,200 people have died by gunfire in homicides and accidental deaths, according to an analysis by the Huffington Post. Yet even this horrific figure does not fully describe the toll of gun violence. At least as many people have died by their own hands: nearly 60 percent of all gun deaths are suicides.

Mostly, the people who die by gun suicide would not have died but for their access to firearms. In fact, the urge to die by suicide is often overwhelming but brief. According to one study of people who attempted suicide but survived, more than two-thirds took action within an hour of deciding to kill themselves.

Someone who has access to a gun within that hour-long window and who uses it is very likely to die: about 85 percent of suicide attempts by firearm result in death. Other attempts by other means are much less likely to be fatal. For example, attempted drug overdoses are fatal only 2 percent of the time.

If you have a gun in your house, I urge you to take careful responsibility for ensuring that it is locked away from anyone who might use it in a suicide. And if you or someone you know ever considers suicide, please call 1-800-SUICIDE for help.

Equal Protection Under the Law

As a member of Congress, I begin each term by swearing an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I take this obligation very seriously and keep a copy of the Constitution in my pocket at nearly all times.

In order to uphold this oath, I recently joined more than 200 of my colleagues in urging the courts to overturn the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a matter that, today, had its moment before the Supreme Court.

DOMA, which was passed into law in 1996, prevents the federal government from recognizing even those same-sex marriages that were lawfully performed in one of the states. The law has fractured our legal system and led to bewildering complications for same-sex spouses.

Among the many problems: DOMA may prevent a legally married woman from fully inheriting her wife’s property upon death, an issue in today’s Supreme Court case. It may prevent a legally married man from applying for citizenship on behalf of his foreign-born husband, as happened to a Princeton couple recently. It may prevent the same-sex spouses of federal employees from gaining access to health insurance.

In short, DOMA forces the federal government to choose among legal marriages, treating some as worthy and some as unworthy. And it requires federal officials to treat loving, committed couples as though they are strangers in the eyes of the law. These hurtful consequences are all the result of DOMA’s insistence upon treating some citizens as less equal than others – a clear violation, it seems to me, of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Rep. Pallone Statement on the President’s Plan to Reduce Gun Violence

WASHINGTON DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today released the following statement on the President’s recommendations to reduce gun violence:

“More than one month ago when 26 children and staff were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School, our hearts were broken. It was not the first time we have mourned a mass shooting, but we should do everything in our capacity to make it the last by taking meaningful action to prevent gun violence. We owe it to the memories of those lost, the families of the victims and to our children who deserve to feel safe in our communities.

“I applaud the common sense reforms outlined by the President, including universal background checks and banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that have no place on our streets. As the Senior Democrat on the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health, which has jurisdiction over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I agree that improving our mental health system and studying gun violence should be priorities.

“I am ever-hopeful that Congress can put aside party differences and come together to take steps that will prevent senseless violence and make our communities safer. I join President Obama and Vice President Biden in asking my colleagues in Congress to do the right thing.”

More Than 80 Every Day

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Twenty elementary school children and six adults were murdered last week at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Just a few months earlier, six Sikhs were murdered at their place of worship in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Just a few weeks before that, 12 moviegoers were murdered in Aurora, Colorado.

These unspeakable tragedies are just the tip of the iceberg. Each day, more than 80 people die by gunfire in homicides, suicides, and accidents.

We can’t just keep saying, “Our hearts ache for the victims and their families.” We have to bring gun violence under control.

In the aftermath of these horrific events, there are, as always, those who warn us against “politicizing” this tragedy by discussing gun safety. These claims are ideologically motivated, and they are profoundly wrong.

When, after a hurricane strikes, we advocate for funding to mitigate future floods, that is not “politicizing” a tragedy. When, after a terrorist attack, we advocate for better measures to prevent future deaths, that is not “politicizing” a tragedy. The notion that gun violence is somehow different, that it deserves unique immunity from serious conversation in our political dialogue, is nonsensical.

Policymakers have an obligation to respond to problems by finding solutions. The solution to gun violence is, in part, to address gun safety – as well as to address mental health care, school security, and more. Toward this end, I will soon introduce legislation to require handgun registration and to strengthen school safety, and I remain committed to improving mental health care throughout this country.

Bold, Persistent Experimentation

The artificial crisis known as the fiscal cliff remains, at this moment, unresolved. The President and Republican leadership continue to debate within the foolish framework set during last year’s debt ceiling showdown.

I remain ready to work in Washington to see that this artificial crisis is fixed. But simply fixing the fiscal cliff is not enough. Congress aims too low if it seeks only to resolve a crisis of its own making.

We must do far more. We must address unemployment, inequality, and America’s lack of a shared vision for renewing our nation’s greatness. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in the depths of the Great Depression:

“The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something…

“We need enthusiasm, imagination, and the ability to face facts, even unpleasant ones, bravely. We need to correct, by drastic means if necessary, the faults in our economic system from which we now suffer.”

Beginning the 113th Congress

On January 3, 2013, I will formally take the oath of office as a member of the 113th Congress, and you are invited to join.

The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building of the Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. Lunch will be served after the program, and guided sightseeing tours of Capitol Hill attractions will follow.

For more information or to RSVP, please call (202) 225-5801.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Armed Guards To Patrol The Hallways of Marlboro Schools

According to an article posted on the Marlboro-Colts Neck Patch and being touted by Marlboro Mayor Johathan Hornik on his Facebook page, once school resumes after the Christmas holiday there will be armed guards patrolling the hallways of Marlboro schools.

I don't live in Marlboro but if I did, I wouldn't happy about this.

I think it is an over reaction to the  tragic event that took place last Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The odds of something like happening to the children of Marlboro is very very slim. They would have a better chance of dying in a car crash or plane accident, being struck by lighting (twice) or winning the lotto than they would dying in school, as a result of a deranged shooter.

 That being said, if this is something that the residents of Marlboro really want and think it is the only way to keep their kids safe and sound while away from home, that's fine and well, that is their choice and I can not disagree with it. But let's be honest, this is an over reaction to the Sandy Hook School shooting.

Who will be paying for all the policemen standing guard in the schools while they should be out patrolling the community? Will new police officers now need to be hired by the township or will the BOE need to hire a private security firm? Schools shouldn't have to be "locked down" with armed guards in order to become secure, they need proper protocol and training of staff who will be able to deal with this type of situation.

And what will it say about the learning environment in the schools? Will children feel intimidated by the armed guards or more secure? Will it lead to better test scores and grades or lower grades due to the fear and anxiety created by the armed police officers in the schools? - It's just something to think about.

If this what Marlboro feels is necessary to protect its children than so be it. I disagree and would be against it if Middletown tried to implement the same. I would rather spend my tax dollars in the classroom, on learning rather than on armed guards patrolling the hallways waiting for an event that may never, ever happen.

Middletown Schools Superintendent Reassures Community After The Recent Tragedy in Newtown, CT

After watching the video from last night's Middletown Township Committee meeting and hearing that Middletown School Superintendent William George, yesterday had issued a statement in the wake of the horrible Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton CT.

Seeing how I and a number of my friends, have kids still attending school here in Middletown, I was curious to see what this statement consisted of. I first found it on Middletown Patch then located it on the Middletown Board of Education's website, where it wasn't very obviously placed. According to Patch, it was issued around 12pm.

I'm wondering why a copy of this announcement wasn't sent home with the students?




Dear School Community,

In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday, I feel it is important to inform you of the steps taken by our school district to keep our students safe and mitigate theemotional impact of this horrific act.

Our central office administration has been in constant communication with our building level principals to review our safety plans, procedures and protocols.

Our safety plan was developed in consultation with the Middletown Township PoliceDepartment and the Office of Emergency Management based on recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security.

This past weekend, we communicated with our local police to discuss the details of our plan as they relate to this incident. It is important to note there will be increased police presence in our district to assist us in reviewing our procedures.

Administrative meetings are scheduled this week to continue this review.

The feedback we have received from parents, staff, students and the community will help us reflect and improve upon our current plan.

Our staff has been briefed on strategies to respond to students and will not initiate discussion regarding this event.

Students’ knowledge of the incident, as well as their emotional reactions will vary; therefore, our staff will take all concerns seriously and offer reassurance that the adultsin our schools care deeply about their safety and that their school is safe. We have counselors available at all school levels, trained and prepared to assist our students should they need further support.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community of Newtown during this most difficulttime. Additional resources for families are available on our website.

Sincerely,

William O. George III, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

NRA Shuts Down It's Facebook Page and Twitter Accounts

It seems that the NRA would rather hide than defend their position on gun control regulations in the wake of the Sandy Hook School shootings, now that they are faced by a public that has become outraged over the senseless gun violence that is becoming more and more common.

 AdWeek- The National Rifle Association shut down a key Twitter account last summer in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colo. theater shootings. On Saturday, one day after the unthinkable shootings at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school, the NRA took a more drastic measure by deactivating its Facebook page after celebrating getting to 1.7 million fans on the social site earlier in the week.

While the group has not commented since Friday's tragedy, it appears to have staked out a strategy to take its brand out of the social media picture in the wake of a mass-shooting news event. Given its guns-rights cause, the social media buzz after such events seems to be an unenviable conversation for the org to partake in. The NRA's chief Twitter account, which has doubled in followers to 63,000 since the Aurora shootings, has been silent since tweeting out a holidays giveaway contest early Friday.

Meanwhile, Facebook news feeds and Twitter streams have been inundated with debate about whether the nation's politicians should enact federal gun-control legislation in reaction to the recent string of mass shootings. The conversation has ranged from typically political to thoughtful to downright ugly.

Scarborough's Morning Joe Commentary On The Sandy Hook School Shootings

I was up early this morning and when I turned on the Morning Joe show on MSNBC, I was pleasantly surprised to see show host Joe Scarborough open his show with a strong monologue pertaining to Friday's Sandy Hook School shooting.  Scarborough made a heartfelt, commonsense plea for some type of gun regulations that will end the senseless violence that has become far more common in recent years than anyone would like.

When in Congress, Scarborough was one of the most conservative and partisan members of the Republican Party, who during his 4 terms as a congressman, received the NRA's highest endorsement. So for him and for people like him, to have a change of heart on the issue gun control in the aftermath the Sandy Hook shootings is commendable.

It's extremely unfortunate however that this change of heart on his and their parts has come only after 28 people,  20 of whom were innocent 6 & 7 year old children lost their lives before they had really every begun.

Nonetheless, I commend Joe Scarborough's change of heart and thinking on this issue. This is a very complicated issue that can't be legislated in one swipe of the pen. As Scarborough states in his commentary, much more needs to be done to recognize people with mental health issue and to see that they received treatment. And to make sure that guns aren't getting into the hands of unstable people.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas: New York Children's Chorus Sing Silent Night

If you missed the cold opening of Saturday Night Live last evening you missed a special, heart warming and touching tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook School shooting that took place Friday morning.

The New York Children's Chorus opened the show by signing a rendition of "Silent Night".

It was a very classy move by the producers of the Saturday Night Live, who more times than not over the past few years, in my opinion, have lowered their standards and played to the lowest common denominators of their audience in order to get a few cheap laughs. They didn't do that here and that is why it make this list today.

God bless the many families and friends that lost loved ones that horrific morning and may the innocent victims "Sleep in heavenly peace".

President Obama's Weekly Address 12/15/12: Nation Grieves for Those Killed in Tragic Shooting in Newtown, CT

The President says the nation’s thoughts and prayers are with those who lost a loved one during Friday’s tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.

Holt Statement on School Shooting in Connecticut

(West Windsor, NJ) – U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) today released the following statement after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut:

“We can’t just keep saying, ‘Our hearts ache for the victims and their families.’ We have to bring gun violence under control.

“Of course we are all horrified by today’s violence in Connecticut. Such tragedies are always senseless, but it is especially sickening to see gunfire turned against children in a place of learning.

“Yet it is not enough to feel sickened. In the aftermath of these horrific events, there will, as always, be those who will warn us against ‘politicizing’ this tragedy by discussing gun safety. These claims are ideologically motivated, and they are profoundly wrong.

“When, after a hurricane strikes, we advocate for funding to mitigate future floods, that is not ‘politicizing’ a tragedy. When, after a terrorist attack, we advocate for better measures to prevent future deaths, that is not ‘politicizing’ a tragedy. The notion that gun violence is somehow different – that it deserves unique immunity from serious conversation in our political dialogue – is nonsensical.

“Policymakers have an obligation to respond to problems by finding solutions. The solution to gun violence is, in part, to address gun safety. Arguments that deny this fact strike me as illogical or blindly ideological.”

Rep. Pallone Statement on Shooting in Newtown, CT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, December 14, 2012


WASHINGTON DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today released the following statement on the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut:

“My heart goes out to everyone impacted by the senseless violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning. As a father, my heart breaks that the victims are young children and educators, and my thoughts and prayers go to the families and loved ones of the victims. This unimaginable tragedy has no place in our society and we cannot even begin to comprehend such a senseless violent act against innocent children.

“It seems that more and more frequently we are reacting to mass shootings, from the tragic movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO, to one that happened in my district, at an Old Bridge, NJ supermarket in August. It’s time that we do more than hold candlelight vigils to honor the lives that have been lost from guns and take action to stem gun violence. We need to have a real conversation about how we get guns off of our streets and enact meaningful, sensible gun control laws. Improvements to our mental health care system must also be evaluated to determine the best ways to identify and treat these dangerous mental illnesses.

“I join New Jerseyans and people across the country in expressing my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Newtown community.”

Statement by the President on the School Shooting in Newtown, CT

The President:

This afternoon, I spoke with Governor Malloy and FBI Director Mueller. I offered Governor Malloy my condolences on behalf of the nation, and made it clear he will have every single resource that he needs to investigate this heinous crime, care for the victims, counsel their families.

We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. And each time I learn the news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would -- as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.

The majority of those who died today were children -- beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them -- birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers -- men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.

So our hearts are broken today -- for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.

As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago -- these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.

This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one another. But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight. And they need all of us right now. In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans. And I will do everything in my power as President to help.

Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need -- to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours.

May God bless the memory of the victims and, in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.

Tears and Tragedy in Connecticut

Today is a very sad day.....

"In a just world, this episode alone would be enough to jolt us out of our torpor and get us to put down all of the weapons of war in our midst. We would reexamine the deep-seated societal roots of despair and violence, and take an honest accounting of the ways in which we are all culpable in its perpetuation. We would re-dedicate ourselves to establishing a societal foundation based on empathy and compassion, and build our economies and politics around these values."

"And above all, we would use every peaceful means at our disposal to ensure that our children can play and grow in this world." - Randall Amster, published December 14, 2012 - CommonDreams.org

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