WATCH: Newtown Parents Speak Out

Six minutes of devastating testimony from parents, educators, and first responders who confronted horror that day.

Two months after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, America is embroiled in a fierce debate about guns. But apart from a few shell-shocked comments in the media, most Americans have not heard directly from those whose voices may matter most—parents of the deceased children, and educators, first responders, and doctors who confronted the horror that day. On January 30 at Newtown High School, the devastated community testified for six hours before Connecticut leaders: A mother explaining what her surviving daughter endured. An EMT describing the damage inflicted by a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle. An ER doctor pleading to tell his patients about the health risks of guns. A father recalling “the longest two hours of my life.” Here we’ve assembled a short compilation of powerful moments from the hearing:

Video footage courtesy of Connecticut Network; see the full hearing here. Also visit our ongoing Letters to Newtown project, and read our full investigation into gun laws and mass shootings in America.

Testimonials, in order of appearance in the compilation:

  • Nicole and Ian Hockley, parents of Sandy Hook victim Dylan Hockley
  • David Wheeler, father of Sandy Hook victim Benjamin Wheeler
  • Peter Paradis, stepfather of Sandy Hook teacher’s aide and victim Rachel D’Avino
  • Neil Heslin, father of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis
  • Scarlett Lewis, mother of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis
  • Susan Ehrens, mother of Sandy Hook survivor Emma Ehrens
  • Dan O’Donnell, Sandy Hook parent
  • Laurie Veillette, volunteer EMT for Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps
  • Douglas Fuchs, police chief of Redding, Connecticut
  • Mary Ann Jacob, library clerk at Sandy Hook
  • Dr. William Begg, emergency room physician at Danbury Hospital and Newtown resident
  • Tom Swetts, teacher at Newtown High School
  • Darren Wagner, former police officer and father of a Newtown High School student

Research and additional production by Sydney Brownstone and Maggie Severns.

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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