'No More Silence' Memorial to Mark Anniversary of Sandy Hook Shootings

Looking for a poignant way to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School?

The New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will co-host a memorial event on Saturday, Dec. 14 to honor the 20 children and six adults murdered a year ago in Newtown, Conn.

The “No More Silence” memorial planned for 9:15 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 67 Church St. in Montclair, is one of 50 events being held around the country to make noise about gun reform.

Rather than a moment of silence, the Newtown victims, as well as all victims of gun violence, will be remembered with a bell ringing.

“The tragedy at Sandy Hook was a wake-up call for many of us and we can no longer be silent about our nation’s raging epidemic of gun violence,” said Mandi Perlmutter, Chapter Leader for the NJ Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “New Jersey’s towns and cities are no strangers to gun violence, and we must come together to say no more. It is time our voices are heard.”

Maura Sherlach Schwartz, a resident of New Jersey and a national spokesperson for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, lost her mother, Mary Sherlach, a school psychologist, when she was shot and killed at Sandy Hook.

“What happened at Sandy Hook Elementary was an unimaginable tragedy for my family, and the families of all of the victims,” said Sherlach Schwartz. “It was also a shattering wake-up call for millions of mothers across America. I am proud to be part of this powerful grassroots movement working to combat the national epidemic of gun violence that claims the lives of nearly eight children or teens every day.”

The Montclair event is co-sponsored by BlueWaveNJ, the Montclair NAACP, OFA-NJ, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair, and will include remarks from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. 

Moms Demand Action was founded on Dec. 15, 2012, the day after the mass shooting in Newtown. In the past year, Moms Demand Action has grown to more than 125,000 members with a chapter in every state. 

Members of the grassroots movement have been instrumental in the passage of strong new gun laws in California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

Moms Demand Action also convinced Starbucks to change its policy allowing guns inside its stores and continues to push for policy changes at American businesses and institutions, including Staples and other retailers.

“American moms will never forget the victims lost at Sandy Hook nor the countless other victims lost everyday all over the country to gun violence. In one year we have seen successes as a result of our voices and we will not stop until all of our children, families, and communities are safe from gun violence,” said Perlmutter.

Moms Demand Action has partnered with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to develop an ad, “No More Silence” (watch video above), which premiered this week on cable news networks.

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