Kamala Harris promises gun reforms to ‘honour lives’ of Sandy Hook victims

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has called for "common-sense" gun reforms on the eighth anniversary of the Sandy Hook mass shooting in order to “honor the lives” of its victims.

On Monday, Ms Harris marked the anniversary of the tragedy with a tweet alongside a photo of those killed during the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

“Today marks eight years since 20 first-graders and six educators were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School,” the Vice President-elect wrote.

"To honor the lives lost in this terrible tragedy, it’s past time we implement common-sense gun safety reforms to keep our children safe."

The tweet mirrored calls from President-elect Joe Biden the same day, similarly calling for stronger gun control measures in the US as he marked the anniversary.

"In this collective pain, you’ve helped usher in a collective and growing purpose," the President-elect said in a prepared statement on Monday.

“You’ve helped us forge a consensus that gun violence is a national health crisis and we need to address its total cost to fully heal families, communities, and our nation. Eight years later, there have been plenty of thoughts and prayers, but we know that is not enough.

“Together with you and millions of our fellow Americans of every background all across our nation, we will fight to end this scourge on our society and enact common-sense reforms that are supported by a majority of Americans and that will save countless lives.”

A number of large-scale mass shootings have followed the Sandy Hook massacre over the last eight years, including double-digit fatalities recorded during shootings in Las Vegas, Florida, and El Paso.

However, recent efforts to halt gun violence through intensified gun control measures have faced significant roadblocks due to the polarising nature of the discussion on both sides.

The issue has also been forced to take a backseat during this year's election alongside other high profile policy as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Biden’s agenda on gun control calls for a renewed ban on AR-style rifles, universal background checks, restrictions on high-capacity magazines, and a federal red-flag law designed to prevent people at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing a firearm.

In the statement on Monday, Mr Biden addressed “the grandparents, parents, siblings, children, spouses, and fellow broken and healing hearts of Sandy Hook.”

He acknowledged that: “No matter how long it’s been, every time you talk about it, you relive it as though you just heard the news. Eight years later, I know the pain never fully heals.”