Sandy Hook Air Force 1 Flight To Washington
Eleven family members of Sandy Hook victims will be flying on Air Force 1 with President Obama after Monday’s speech in Hartford, CT. Along with the president, they plan to lobby Congress for new gun control legislation to prevent similar crimes from happening again.
Obama met privately with some of the Sandy Hook family members before a speech he gave at the University of Hartford Monday. They want to confront senators who still oppose expanded federal background checks of potential gun buyers.
In his speech, the president also called out delaying tactics that some conservatives have proposed to stop the vote on the new legislation:
“Some back in Washington are already floating the idea that they might use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms. Think about that. They’re not just saying they’ll vote no on ideas that almost all Americans support. They’re saying they won’t allow any votes on them.”
Thirteen conservative Republican senators had sent a letter to majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stating that they would use a delaying tactic designed to force the Democrats to win 60 of 100 votes, instead of just 51, to pass the gun control measure.
Like most Americans, the president was deeply impacted by the mass murder, especially with the killer’s focus on slaughtering so many young children. He has become emotional in public when speaking about it on several occasions:
On Dec. 14, Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults in a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT that outraged a nation. He killed his mother before the mass slaughter and then killed himself as law enforcement moved in. He had lived with his mother in a home that contained more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition and multiple weapons, and he reportedly fired 154 rounds in the attack on the school.
President Obama appears to be making a strong statement to Congress by asking the family members of the Sandy Hook tragedy to join him on Air Force 1.
[President Obama and Air Force 1 photo by 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com]
