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“Today’s tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, taking the lives of nurturing adults and innocent children, is heartbreaking. As a father and as a husband of a public school teacher, I have to say that the word that comes most to mind at a time like this is ‘unspeakable.’ This is a tragedy of unspeakable proportion, an act beyond comprehension. When lives are lost in our schools, which represent a safe haven with the sole purpose of enriching the lives of children, we are left with a profound sadness. I join others in this country and the Western New York community in saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the families and community devastated by the horrific events that occurred today.”
Governor Cuomo has issued this statement:
"I was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning in Newtown, Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the innocent victims – many of whom were young children – whose lives were claimed by this senseless and horrific act of violence. During times of such unthinkable tragedy, all New Yorkers stand together with the people of our neighboring state to grieve the loss of life and help bear the pain and anguish that will be felt by so many in the weeks, months, and years to come.
"While we don’t have all the facts and our focus must be on the victims, this is yet another senseless and horrific act of violence involving guns. We as a society must unify and once and for all crack down on the guns that have cost the lives of far too many innocent Americans. Let this terrible tragedy finally be the wake-up call for aggressive action and I pledge my full support in that effort."
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter also issued a statement:Slaughter said, “Today’s shooting is an act of unspeakable violence. I am grief-stricken for the innocent children and their families. Sadly our nation has reached the point where our citizens can’t go to church, to the theater, or even to elementary schools, free from the threat of guns. Something must be done.”
She continued, “We hear an awful lot about protecting the right to own a gun. Our nation has an equally somber responsibility to ensure that our children can go to school every morning and come home safely every night. I will always do everything that I can to ensure our children’s safety, and if that means that we place commonsense controls on guns, then that is the price I will freely pay.”
“In times like these, our moral compass should be stronger than the work of any gun lobby. It is long past time for delay- we must do all that we can to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”