On December 12, San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention (SD4GVP) came together to commemorate the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, on December 14, 2012. We met as a local partner in the ninth annual, nationwide vigil led by the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation. We’ve pledged to meet every year for the victims of Sandy Hook and all victims of gun violence, and the theme this year is “Honor and Remember.”

We remember the 900,000-plus Americans killed or injured by guns since the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy. Despite concrete progress, the epidemic of gun violence still ravages the country. Besides honoring and remembering those who have died, the annual vigil is a call to those elected officials who champion gun-sense legislation. It also honors the work of all those who support the families and communities destroyed by gun violence every day in San Diego and beyond.