On a chilly morning in sleepy suburb a crazed man unleashed terror on an innocent community. This is not the first time we have faced the horror that results from mixing an unstable individual with a killing machine. A school in Littleton, a college in Virginia, and a grocery store in Arizona are still scarred from the tragedies that unfolded there. As a fearful nation, we have transformed our school palaces into fortresses. Today we learned that even that is not enough to stop a determined killer. We cannot prevent every tragedy. We cannot anticipate every shortcoming of every policy. However we can take pause and learn from this. We can sit down and use information and data to make informed decisions about the best way to reduce the risk of this happening. Then we can come together and meet this moment of tragedy with a moment of courage. It is time for the United States Congress to have a real and serious discussion on gun violence in America. We may not prevent every massacre, but we can fight fear with knowledge and risk with action. As our world has changed, so must our laws.

Here in Connecticut, the General Assembly should convene a commission to investigate policies related to gun violence and in the next session pass a comprehensive gun violence and safety act. This act should address policies related to gun control, crime prevention, and school safety. While our leaders are not gods that can stop every death, they can certainly lead us into a world where fewer people die. As our senators and representatives in Washington remain stuck in gridlock, it is incumbent upon our leaders in Hartford to set an example and push our state forward.