Tag Archives: school violence

Sandy Hook shooting victims’ advocacy group airs chilling anti-school violence ad

FILE PHOTO: The sign for the new Sandy Hook Elementary School at the end of the drive leading to the school is pictured in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlin/File Photo

Sandy Hook shooting victims’ advocacy group airs chilling anti-school violence ad
(Reuters) – Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization led by family members of children massacred at a Connecticut elementary school in 2012, released a chilling public awareness advertisement for its violence prevention campaign on Wednesday.

The advertisement, called “Back to School Essentials,” shows children using standard back to school items like scissors, pencils, and sneakers as they attempt to flee from a gunman.

“These new socks? They can be a real lifesaver,” said one girl, as she tied a pair of long white socks around the bloodied leg of another girl as a tourniquet.

The advertisement, which aired during NBC’s Today Show and had tens of thousands of online views on Wednesday morning, aims to bring awareness to Sandy Hook Promise’s school violence prevention program “Know the Signs,” which teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and intervene to prevent mass shootings.

A gunman killed 26 children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where the non-profit organization is based, in the deadliest public school shooting in U.S. History on Dec. 14, 2012.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

House to debate bill to reduce violence in schools

American flags fly on National Mall with U.S. Capitol on background as high-wind weather conditions continue in Washington, U.S. March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives next week will debate bipartisan legislation aimed at preventing school violence following the Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school that ended with 17 deaths, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday.

McCarthy did not outline any other legislation the House might consider, which gun control groups are pushing, such as raising the age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles or banning them altogether.

The House already has passed a bill, which is pending in the Senate, to tighten government background checks on gun buyers. But it included a controversial provision to greatly expand the ability of people to carry concealed weapons anywhere in the United States, which is not likely to pass the Senate.

(Reporting By Richard Cowan)