Only in America

Those words were once a common exclamation uttered by newly arrived immigrants on the Lower East Side, in awe of America’s abundance, opportunities, and gifts.

Now that expression has a much darker tone

Only in America can children spend their entire academic life from kindergarten to college practicing active shooting drills in the classroom. From primers to PhDs, many of these children will live with PTSD from the real fear of a school shooter.

This is a national emergency.

This is about our children’s future. All our children have absorbed these shootings, informing them that life is not safe.

This is the world they grew up in. These are kids who have never gone to school in a place where gun violence was not normalized and that is no longer acceptable.

We have failed our children.

They are our future. Let us ensure that they have one.

Today, on the 13th anniversary of Sandy Hook, as we mourn the students at Brown University, let us please remember the children lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012,

Please, add 13 years to their ages.

That’s how old they would be today had they not been killed. Think of all they have missed.

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Rachel Davino, 29

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

Dawn Hochsprung, 47

Dylan Hockley, 6

Madeleine Hsu, 6

Catherine Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Nancy Lanza, 52

Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Lauren Rousseau, 30

Mary Sherlach, 56

Victoria Soto, 27

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison Wyatt, 6