Biden honours gun victims at vigil ahead of Sandy Hook anniversary: ‘We’ve seen you turn pain into purpose’

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

President Joe Biden paid tribute to families who lost loved ones to gun violence at a vigil ahead of the 10th anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Mr Biden spoke on Wednesday evening at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC ahead of the 14 December anniversary of the shooting that killed 26 people, mostly young students, before the gunman killed himself.

At the time, Mr Biden was vice president to former president Barack Obama and the shooting kick-started Democrats push to end gun violence.

The vigil began years ago to pray for the souls of the victims of Sandy Hook., Jackie Hagerty, who was a second grader at the school during the horrific violence, introduced Mr Biden.

“Ever since this time, this church has opened its doors to more victims and more families of violence rips at the very soul of the very soul of this nation,” Mr Biden said.

Mr Biden said that he knew what it was like to lose loved ones, as this month was the 50th anniversary of him losing his first wife Nelia and his daughter Naomi in a car accident that also almost nearly killed his sons Beau and Hunter.

“Jill and I met with you, prayed with you and have worked with you,” he said. “We've seen you turn pain into purpose.”

Mr Biden remarked how thanks to the advoates’ work, Congress passed the first piece of gun legislation since 1994 earlier this year. A bipartisan group led by Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina negotiated with Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who was also at the event.

“But it’s still not enough,” he said twice to applause.

“Our work continues to limit the number of bullets can be in a cartridge type of weapons that can be purchased and sold,” he said. “Attempt to ban assault weapons, whole range of things that are just common sense.”