Newtown families hope massacre transforms nation

Updated 9:57 PM ET

NEWTOWN, Conn. Newtown officials and parents of children killed in last month's elementary school massacre called on lawmakers Wednesday to turn the tragedy into "the moment of transformation" by banning high-powered, military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines while providing better care to the mentally ill and requiring more background checks for gun owners.

Several hundred residents, many wearing stickers urging more gun control measures, attended a public hearing held Wednesday night in the wake of the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 20 first-graders and six educators dead. State lawmakers are considering possible changes to laws and policies affecting guns, mental health and school safety.

Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary, a school psychologist, died in the rampage, said that he respects the Second Amendment but that it was written in a long-ago era where armaments were different.

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Newtown students return to class

"I have no idea how long it took to reload and refire a musket," he said. "I do know that the number of shots fired in the Sandy Hook Elementary School in those few short minutes is almost incomprehensible, even in today's modern age."

Unlike a legislative subcommittee hearing held Monday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on gun laws, which lasted hours into the night and attracted hundreds of gun rights activists statewide, the crowd at Newtown High School on Wednesday was overwhelmingly in favor of gun control.

"Make this the time that change happens. Don't give up because it's too hard or too difficult. Make a promise to honor the lives lost at Sandy Hook and elsewhere in America by turning this tragedy into the moment of transformation that benefits us all," said Nicole Hockley. Her 6-year-old son, Dylan, was among those killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who fatally shot his mother in their home before driving to the school to carry out the massacre and committing suicide.

Prior to the hearing, Nicole Hockley talked to CBS News about why she is speaking out right now: "Now is the time because it's the only time I can start to make any sense of this for myself. Dylan was just pure love when you get right down to it. I am not being fair to his legacy and memory if I sit back and do nothing."

She added about what she want to happen: "All I've seen in all honesty so far is people immediately jumping on agendas. I find that disgusting. I'd rather see more conversation and listening taking place."

David Wheeler, whose 6-year-old son, Benjamin, was also killed, said a more comprehensive system of identifying and monitoring individuals with mental distress needs to be created.

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"That a person with these problems could live in a home where he had access to among the most powerful firearms available to non-military personnel is unacceptable," he said. "It doesn't matter to whom these weapons were registered. It doesn't matter if they were purchased legally. What matters is that it was far too easy for another mentally unbalanced, suicidal person who had violent obsessions to have easy access to unreasonably powerful weapons."

But Newtown resident Casey Khan warned that further restrictions on gun rights leave "good and lawful citizens at risk." While one of the few to speak in favor of gun rights, Khan still received applause from some in the audience.

Another resident, Mike Collins, said reducing the number of cartridges creates a vulnerability for the shooter, who has to reload, and for the people trying to defend themselves.

"I don't want to be out-gunned in a situation that I cannot walk or run away from," he said.

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Victims of Conn. school shooting

In response to calls from gun enthusiasts who've urged lawmakers against infringing on their Second Amendment rights, Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe told the lawmakers "this sacrifice is necessary and certainly warranted." Kehoe spoke of the need to reduce easy access to weapons of mass murder.

Wednesday's public hearing was organized by the General Assembly's task force on gun violence prevention and children's safety. Lawmakers hope to vote on a package of new measures around the end of February.

More details of the shooting were revealed at the hearing.

Susie Ehrens spoke of how her daughter, Emma, escaped from Sandy Hook with a group of other first-graders when the shooter paused. Emma, she said, saw her friends and teacher slaughtered before she ran past lifeless bodies and a half a mile down the road.

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Newtown police chief: "It's time to sacrifice"

"The fact that my daughter survived and others didn't haunts me. That a spot where they were standing at that moment decided their fate that day, when evil (that) could have been stopped walked into their classrooms," Ehrens said.

Mary Ann Jacob, a Sandy Hook teacher, recalled hearing "hundreds of hundreds of gunshots that seemed to last forever" and crawling across the floor with 18 children to hide from the shooter.

Some in the audience didn't testify but said they felt it was important to attend.

Trish Keil and her twin sister, Helen Malyszka, two music teachers in Sandy Hook who knew many of the slain children, said they believe the tragedy will lead to change and won't be forgotten. Both support more gun control measures.

"I think it happened in Newtown for a reason and I think there is going to be major change because Newtown will not stand by and let this go," Keil said. "This is just, it's too horrific. When it's starting to affect our children, something has to be done and it's going to change."

[corbolavirus]

Newtown: Figure out your own city's misgiuded policies that led to Lanza not getting any med help. Stay out of other States' business. CT's police chiefs nor Newtown's parents speak for 325 million people.

[Type_Z]

It should transform America, but it won't be in the proper places and ways. I could do it in a paragraph, but no one would listen or believe me.

[WordsLive]

It is sad when people use the death of children to exploit a radical agenda to take away the rights of law abiding citizens and push to create a police state. Nothing mentioned about protecting children in this conversation. But plenty of talk about punishing innocent people.

[Snakedogg77]

Everyone in this country is so involved in controlling guns, regulate guns, rules in firing guns, taking an evaluation to determine if you are capable mentality to purchase a gun. Wasted time. Not one has mentioned to protect schools or even coming up with ideas to secure schools, businesses Parks, etc....Control is the Key. Who controls guns? The gun itself? No... no life in it unless you give it life by pulling the trigger.These will not bring Peace to this country or peace to one's self. Reacting against feelings, scared, anger,will cause confusion. They need to gather together as a community with the schools and make a proposal in how the schools can be safe. Money thrown from the government to places not need it could to schools or state to create more jobs for security or hire more police officers instead of laying off. We are leaving are selves vulnerable to criminals and possibly from other country's willingly and waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of an attack.

[artjoephilly]

A government 17T in debt doesn't want a citizenry that can defend itself, I wouldn't either. It's made even more clear by the way the gov leverages madman to meet their disarming objective. Everyone knows that madmen don't need guns to do a dirty.

[jedbine646]

355,000 kids were killed last year- record number. 1 million kids killed in the last 3 years. 55 million kids have been killed since the 70s. But they were not killed by guns- rather by abortion. But thats ok, because it is a womans right. 355,000 abortions were carried out a Planned Parenthood alone last year- setting a new record and you have these guys on here talking about guns killing kids and they to many are dying? The country is so twarked it never ceases to amaze me. Im not to worried though, govt just stepped up their regulations on pain killers- good thing my local dealer hasnt

[thetruthwillout]

Is there a solution to this problem? No. I really don't believe there is. There are certain risks associated with freedom, because not everyone wants to acknowledge that with freedom comes responsibility. Whether we have the right to bear arms or not, gun violence will continue. We only notice it when it's something "out of the ordinary." Meanwhile, children and adults are victims of gun violence every day in the inner cities across America. We rationalize that kind of violence by saying that the gang members are "killing one another," so what's the harm? The harm is those caught in the crossfire, but they are casualties of war and it happens so frequently, it doesn't even make the news in many cities. It takes only a handful of thugs to turn a neighborhood into a war zone. And we are powerless to stop it. I am not for arming everyone, as I don't think that's the solution. Banning certain kinds of weapons probably isn't going to do anything in the long run, but at least people feel as if they are doing something to fix this. No one wants the government intruding on their lives, yet how many people expect the government to protect them in situations like this. You can't have it both ways. All we can do is pray we do not end up as victims of gun violence.

[Noval53]

Gun free England has a far higher violent crime rate than the USA. How are those "gun free" zones working out? Domestic terrorists (like Major Hassan) look for gun free zones to carry out their attacks. Taking guns from law abiding citizens only seeks to make them targets of crime and acts of terror; and leaves good citizens defenseless. Throughout history genocide happens to populations that have been stripped of their rights of self defense; only to be slaughtered like so many sheep.

[Noval53]

I find it odd that the same political elites now in power, very much against semi-automatic weapons here in the USA, have and are providing "fully" automatic weapons all across the Middle East in support of the so called "Arab Spring". Has anyone calculated the cost in lives I wonder? And who is the real winner; Muslim Brotherhood, Al Queda, or what local warlord? Question Authority. Is some sort of American Spring planned for us some day?

[dj4240]

When the media only reports one side of the story it usually means that there's an agenda,and the story then is just the spreading of propaganda.Take Newtown for example..there are many there including the parents of victims who are opposed to the Obama, Feinstein gun bans and other major parts of the proposed gun control legislation.These gun bans have been proven to be ineffective and useless and were allowed to expire in 2004 after 10 years....It is well known that most who are in favor of gun bans are unaware and uniformed of what the proposed bans are...and what is proposed to be banned are only the cosmetic features of a semi automatic rifle...these bans are a total scam since they want to ban the way these rifles look and not how they function or with any of the mechanics,,,Even the term "assault rifle" is an invented anti gun term used by liberal politicians and the media..These semi automatic rifles are not assault rifles and are not used by the military,they only look like real assault rifles...they are not. None of the proposed bans would have prevented any of the mass shootings,so if any politician or the media says these bans would have prevented these shootings are being deceitful. Because these semi automatic rifles only account for 1% of all the shootings in the country,and the vast majority of shootings are done by criminals shooting other criminals with illegal handguns..then the focus should be on enforcing and tweaking the existing 20.000 gun control laws that are already on the books,and securing the schools with qualified security...and upgrading the broken mental health system...This would actually do something in preventing another tragedy,that those worthless gun bans wouldn't.

[fishguru00]

i've had about all the transforation i can take from this administration...