.
6:15 P.M. Governor Calls for Nationwide Moment of Silence
Gov.
Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut on Tuesday called on residents to
participate in a moment of silence on Friday at 9:30 a.m., exactly a
week after a gunman massacred 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Mr.
Malloy also asked that houses of worship and government buildings ring
bells 26 times to commemorate the victims. He wrote a letter to all
governors in the United States asking that they also participate.
“Let
us all come together collectively to mourn the loss of far too many
promising lives at Sandy Hook Elementary School,” Mr. Malloy said in a
statement on the governor’s Web site.
“Though we will never know the full measure of sorrow experienced by
these families, we can let them know that we stand with them during this
difficult time.”
4:28 P.M. N.R.A. Pledges to Help Prevent Similar Attacks
8:24 p.m. | Updated
In its first official statement since the Newtown, Conn., school
shootings last Friday, the National Rifle Association said Tuesday that
it was “shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the murders” and would
weigh into the growing public debate about guns and violence at a news
conference this Friday.
The four-million-member gun rights group,
one of the country’s most powerful grass-roots lobbying organizations,
had stayed silent in recent days, issuing no statements,
deactivating its Facebook account
and declining interview requests since the killings of 20
schoolchildren and 7 adults, including the mother of the gunman. Its
Facebook account was reactivated on Tuesday evening.
In a
statement sent by e-mail on Tuesday, the group said, “Out of respect for
the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for
mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before
commenting.”
In the wake of the Newtown shootings, gun opponents
and others have called for tighter restrictions on the sale of weapons
and better background checks on buyers, measures that are sure to face
an uphill battle in Washington. The N.R.A. said Tuesday that it would
participate in the debate, but it did not provide details.
“The N.R.A. is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again,” the statement said.
Full text of a statement released from the National Rifle Association on Tuesday.
The
National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms
and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and
heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in
Newtown.
Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of
common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full
investigation of the facts before commenting.
The N.R.A. is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.
The N.R.A. is planning to hold a major news conference in the Washington, D.C., area on Friday, December 21.
Details will be released to the media at the appropriate time.
www.nra.org
—
Nicholas Confessore
4:13 P.M. Murdoch’s Support for Gun Control Echoed in His Paper
When
Rupert Murdoch spoke out on Twitter in favor of tightening gun control
in the wake of the Newtown shootings, other Twitter users wondered if
his media empire would take an editorial stance in line with Mr.
Murdoch’s evolving personal views.
The holdings of News
Corporation, of which Mr. Murdoch is chairman, include The New York
Post, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
An answer arrived in an editorial on Tuesday in The New York Post, “
Adam Lanza’s Weapons,” that made its point with characteristic bluntness.
Has technology rendered the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution obsolete?
That
is, has the application of modern military design to civilian firearms
produced a class of weapons too dangerous to be in general circulation?
We say: Yes.
The
piece acknowledges that the cow is well out of the barn, with enough
privately owned guns in the country to arm nearly every adult citizen,
and political will for gun restrictions likely to fade as the Newtown
shootings recede from the nation’s consciousness. “But that won’t negate
the need for reform,” the editorial says, concluding:
Weapons
designed expressly to kill human beings, and then modified (wink wink)
to meet the federal machine-gun ban, have no legitimate place in
American society.
Time to get rid of them.
The response from The Post’s online commenters was largely negative.
“The entire premise of the article is ridiculous,”
wrote one reader.
“The idea that the writers of the constitution would look at the
weapons available to criminals today, and then say law abiding citizens
should only have bolt action rifles is ludicrous in the extreme.”
“The first responsibility of a gun owner is to secure that weapon when not in use or in your custody. Mrs. Lanza?”
wrote another.
“The usual knee jerk reaction by the news media…”
wrote a third, putting The Post in some unfamiliar company indeed.
Even some of the few who applauded the editorial expressed surprise. “Wow!”
one reader wrote. “One of the few times I agree with a Post editorial.”
—
Andy Newman
3:54 P.M. Funeral of Jessica Rekos, 6
Todd Heisler/The New York Times The
coffin of Jessica Rekos, 6, who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary
School last week, before her funeral at St. Rose of Lima Church in
Newtown, Conn., on Tuesday.
The opening paragraphs from the
obituary of Jessica Adrienne Rekos, published in The Newtown Bee, the local newspaper.
Jessica
Adrienne Rekos, 6, beloved and cherished daughter of Richard S. and
Krista A. Lehmann Rekos of Sandy Hook, died tragically, December 14,
with her friends and classmates at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Born in
Danbury May 10, 2006, she was a lifelong resident of Sandy Hook.
Jessica loved horseback riding, learning about orcas, writing, and playing with her little brothers.
3:39 P.M. Computer Hard Drive From Lanza Home Sent to F.B.I. Lab
The
damaged hard drive that authorities took from the home where Adam Lanza
and his mother lived, and where he fatally shot her, has been sent to
the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s computer lab in Quantico, Va., for
further analysis, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Investigators
have been unable to get any information off the hard drive, which they
believe Mr. Lanza, who had taken computer classes at a local college,
smashed in an effort to prevent the authorities from determining what he
had done on the computer.
Within the past few days, the F.B.I.
had the hard drive hand delivered to bureau personnel and agents in
Quantico who specialize in data retrieval, according to the official.
“It
is going to be tough to get anything from it,” the official said. “If
they are able to do so, it is going to take quite a while. But it is
going to be tough.”
The F.B.I.’s technology division, national laboratory and training academy are in Quantico.
The
official said that he did not know of any other electronic devices –
like the computer console that was taken from the house – that had been
handed over by local authorities to the F.B.I. for analysis.
The investigation of the shooting is being led by the Connecticut State Police.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to be identified discussing an ongoing investigation
—
Michael S. Schmidt
1:49 P.M. Funeral of James Mattioli
Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Mourners
of James Mattioli, 6, a victim in the shooting at the Sandy Hook
School, outside St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Conn., on Tuesday.
The opening paragraphs from the
obituary of James Radley Mattioli published in The Newtown Bee, the local newspaper.
“Our
Beloved Prince,” James Radley Mattioli, 6 ¾, fondly called “J,” died
December 14, in his classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He was
born March 22, 2006, in Bridgeport.
An energetic, loving friend to
all, James loved baseball, basketball, swimming, arm wrestling, and
playing games on the iPad (especially the lawn mowing game). He loved to
wear shorts and t-shirts in any weather, and grab the gel to spike his
hair. He would often sing at the top of his lungs and once asked, “How
old do I have to be to sing on a stage?”
James loved to dive off
the diving board at the Treadwell Pool, swim like a fish in both of his
grandparents’ pools and ride his bike, proudly without training wheels.
He often said, “I need to go outside Mom, I need fresh air.” He spent
endless hours playing hockey with his best bud and cousin, George.
He loved and admired his big sister and wanted to do everything that
she could do. They were the best of friends, going to school together,
playing games together, and making endless drawings and crafts together.
2:02 P.M. No Gun Show in Danbury, Hotel Says
The Crowne Plaza hotel in Danbury says that a coming gun show at the hotel
being advertised on the Web site of Big Al’s Gun Shows is not going to take place.
“It is absolutely not happening at this hotel,” Jamie Santacroce, the hotel’s controller, said by phone Tuesday afternoon.
Ms.
Santacroce said that while Big Al’s has had gun shows at the hotel in
the past and that the hotel had sent him paperwork for the show he
wanted to have on Jan. 5 and 6, the gun-show organizer never returned
the contract for the January show.
In any case, Ms. Santacroce
said, “We would have canceled it regardless,” adding, “we wouldn’t have
that sort of event here given the circumstances.”
Ms. Santacroce said that the hotel was trying to get the organizer to remove the listing from his Web site.
A
man who picked up the phone at the number listed on the Big Al’s Web
site declined to comment when asked about Ms. Santacroce’s statement.
Update, 4:30 p.m. | Sometime after 3 p.m., the Danbury show was marked “Cancelled” on the
Big Al’s Web site:
Screengrab Big Al’s Gun Shows updated its Web site Monday afternoon to say that the Danbury show is “cancelled.”
Update, 5:50 p.m. | Sometime after 5 p.m., a Big Al’s show in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in February was also marked “Cancelled” on the Big Al’s site.
—
Andy Newman
1:35 P.M. Nearly 2 Million Sign Sympathy Card for Newtown
More than 1.7 million people have signed
an online sympathy card to express condolences for the shooting victims in Newtown, Conn., making it the largest gathering of signatures on
causes.com, the social causes petition Web site where the card is posted. The card reads:
To: Community of Newtown, Connecticut, including the families of the victims and the survivors and their families.
Our Sincere Condolences.
We
wish to express our deepest sympathies to all of the families of those
lost, to the survivors and their families, and to the others impacted by
the senseless and unthinkable tragedy that unfolded at Sandy Hook
Elementary School. We cannot begin to comprehend the depth of your
sadness and grief. Please know that we care deeply for you and we join
with you in sharing your sorrow and pain. We only hope that you receive
some measure of comfort in the knowledge that we, and an entire nation,
stand with you during this extraordinarily difficult time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The cause was started by a man named
David M. Paine, who in 2002 helped start
www.911day.org, a movement that marks the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 with good deeds.
A message to signatories posted below the sympathy card on causes.com said:
In the face of yet another senseless act of violence that took the
lives of innocent people in America, this time including very young
children with their entire lives ahead of them, we are inviting our
members and friends to join us in signing a national sympathy card for
the families of the victims, the survivors and their families and the
entire community of Newtown, Connecticut. We will deliver this note with
the names of those signed to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.
Mr.
Paine started the sympathy card on Dec. 15. Within 48 hours it had
passed 1 million signatures, and by midday on Tuesday it had more than
1.7 million signatures, setting a record for the Web site.
Friends… we just surpassed 1.5 million signatures on the Sandy Hook
Elementary School National Sympathy Card, making this the single largest
gathering of signatures ever within the Causes community. Remarkable!
Please keep inviting your friends to sign as well — we want to reach at
least two million signatures.
The card was receiving 1,000 signatures per minute at its peak on Saturday,
mashable.com reported, a day after the shooting by Adam Lanza, 20, at Sandy Hook Elementary School,
where 20 children and 6 adults were killed.
—
Christine Hauser
1:26 P.M. Most Schools Reopen, but Threat Keeps One Closed
As most students resumed classes in Newtown on Tuesday
and some local residents expressed weariness over the large news media
presence, school officials decided against opening the town’s Head
O’Meadow School because of an unspecified threat, the police said.
Newtown police officials said on Tuesday that the school was closed as a precaution. They declined to provide details.
No
classes were held at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which is still
considered a crime scene. Arrangements have been made for Sandy Hook’s
students to attend classes in a former middle school in nearby Monroe.
The school had been closed because of declining enrollment.
The Hartford Courant
reports that Superintendent Janet Robinson told parents and the staff that moving into the middle school was the best option.
In the e-mail, Ms. Robinson said the Monroe school “allows us to keep the entire faculty together.”
“In
the meantime, we need to tend to our teachers’ and students’ needs to
feel comfortable after this trauma in this new place,” she wrote
School
officials said the school, known as Chalk Hill, would not be ready
until after the first of the year. But that did not stop the people of
Monroe from sending a message of welcome.
—
Jennifer Preston
12:15 P.M. Parents Share Memories of Child Being Buried Today
The
funeral for Jessica Rekos, 6, began at noon in Newtown (today’s other
funeral, for another 6-year-old, James Mattioli, was held at 10 a.m.).
Earlier this week, in an
interview
with ABC News, Richard and Krista Rekos said talking about their
daughter, who loved horseback riding and wanted cowboy boots for
Christmas, brought them tiny moments of comfort.
Parents of Jessica Rekos remember
12:25 P.M. Gun Show Coming to Danbury, 13 Miles from Newtown
Screengrab of the ad for an upcoming gun show in Danbury, Conn., on Big Al’s Gun Shows’ Web site.
Update, 2:12 p.m.: This gun show is not going to take place, the Crowne Plaza hotel said Tuesday afternoon. Read more.
A gun show is scheduled in the vicinity of Newtown, Conn., in a few weeks.
Big Al’s Gun Shows is bringing its traveling firearms market to the
Crowne Plaza hotel in Danbury, 13 miles from Newtown, on Jan. 5 and 6.
According to
Big Al’s Web site (warning: click on it and you hear a loud gunshot), children under 10 will get in free when accompanied by an adult.
Gun
shows are the national bane of gun-control advocates – in most states,
people who buy guns from sellers at gun shows are not required to
undergo background checks the way people who buy guns at licensed
firearms dealers are,
according to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
In Connecticut, background checks are required at gun shows only for sales of handguns, according to the coalition.
A
man who answered the phone number listed on the Big Al’s site said
“yes” when asked Tuesday morning if the show was still on. When asked
further questions, he replied, “I really have no comments, buddy.” When
asked his name, he said, “Have a good day” and hung up.
—
Andy Newman and Elliott Malkin