MacKenzie Dumas Newtown Connecticut Shootings 5/29/2013 In December of 2012, Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook elementary

school and fatally shot 20 school children and six teachers. Lanza was armed with 30 magazines each holding 10 rounds. He had a semi-automatic Bushmaster .223 caliber model XM15 rifle, plus bullets for two handguns and a shotgun. He first killed his 52-year-old mother and then 20 school children and six teachers in less than 5 minutes. After the shooting, America was never the same and many wanted to take action in placing new gun restrictions on all gun owners. The issue still tends to be a major point of contention in the United States government and while some laws are passing, others are failing to be voted through. Adam Lanza was a 20-year-old who played military style video games and rarely left home. Police found a gun locker in his home as well as more than 1600 rounds of ammunition. Also, they found 3 samurai swords and an NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting. Lanza also was said to have Aspergers syndrome, which led to further investigations into why Lanza committed this horrible crime. The time line for the day of December 14, 2012 started with Lanza killing his 52 year old mother. Next, Lanza drove to Sandy Hook elementary school and shot through the front entrance, leaving a 12-gauge in the car. He then fatally shot 20 students as well as six teachers in 2 classrooms and a hallway. From when Lanza first walked into the school to when he ended his own life after killing the others, it had been less than 5 minutes. Immediately after the shooting was when the controversy on gun violence began.

New York itself passed gun laws putting new limitations on guns. The new laws state that gun owners cant have more than 7 round magazines except for at competitions and firing ranges. Owners of guns with over a 7-bullet magazine must register them within one year, or, sell them to licensed dealer or out of state by next January 15th. But, considering that no manufacturer makes a 7-round gun, it is legal to keep a 10-round gun, but only load 7 bullets in it. Most call the gun law an emotional and quickly made response to the New Town, Connecticut shooting, and the National Rifle Association plans to take the law to court. New York Governor Cuomo says the gun laws are common sense although some argue that the government cant regulate guns. No legislation has passed in Washington yet, but many gun control advocates keep persevering to get Washington to vote on gun control laws. President Obama said it was A pretty shameful day for Washington when the gun legislation was voted down. Colorado has also passed a gun law that bans ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds, and Connecticuts new gun laws mandate extensive background checks to anyone purchasing a gun. After the shooting, 52% of Americans favored the major gun restrictions. Since then, the number has fallen to 43%. The fire arm deaths in 1993 were 18,253, while in 2011, the deaths from gun violence were 11,101. Those numbers show a 39% decrease in 18 years. The number of non-fatal fire arm crimes was 1.5 million in 1993, while in 2011, the number was 467,300, which shows a 69% decrease. Before I researched this topic, I knew that it was a big deal in the American Government. I thought that it was still a huge controversy, and that everyone was still up in arms about it. What I found though, was that most of the gun violence contention in

Washington has come to a stand still, and a lot of people are moving on from it,. But, a lot of state governments are still pushing for new gun restrictions. This point in American history did prove to be pivotal though, because gun laws were passed and it cased a new light on the topic of gun violence. The crime that Adam Lanza committed was a horrific and unthinkable crime. By doing so, he ruined many peoples lives, including the people he shot as well as the families affected by the crime. Because of the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary, many people want new gun restriction laws to pass to help to prevent anything from ever happening like the Sandy Hook shooting. The crime made people realize the terrible things that human beings are capable of doing, which they never thought possible. After the event, most Americans had an opinion about gun violence, of which they never thought of before, whether it was good view of the use of guns or a bad one. The shooting was a pivotal point in American history and forever changed the thoughts and beliefs of American society.