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Five years ago, on December 14, 2012, 20 first-graders and six educators were gunned down in a heartbreaking shooting at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School. To mark the anniversary of the tragic event, viewed as a turning point in the nation's ongoing gun debate, groups across the country are demonstrating to remember those who have died and to advocate for change—including a gathering in New York City.
In the past five years alone, there have been over 1,500 mass shooting incidents in the U.S., according to research by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. Since that awful day, more than 1,700 people have been killed in mass shootings on American soil, from Orlando to Las Vegas.
On the Upper West Side, Rutgers Presbyterian Church is hosting the Interfaith Vigil to End Gun Violence. One of hundreds of vigils planned across the country in remembrance of the Sandy Hook shooting, the event will bring together more than 30 local groups advocating for gun violence prevention, all capped off with a keynote speech from Brooklyn City Council member Jumaane Williams, co-chair of the Gun Violence Task Force.
Attendees are encouraged to wear orange, the color of gun violence awareness, or pick up an orange ribbon at the event, and you can also bring a photo of a lost love one you are honoring to put a face to the toll of gun violence and bring a bell to help break the silence.
Interfaith Vigil to End Gun Violence, Thur 14, 7pm–9pm, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, 236 W 73rd St.
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