U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he makes a
statement about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
This afternoon, I spoke with Governor Malloy and FBI
Director Mueller. I offered Governor Malloy my condolences on behalf of the
nation, and made it clear he will have every single resource that he needs to
investigate this heinous crime, care for the victims, counsel their families.
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We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past
few years. And each time I learn the
news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would -- as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there’s not a parent in America who
doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.
The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of five and ten years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them birthdays,
graduations, weddings, kids of their own.
Among the fallen were also teachers men and women who devoted their
lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.
So our hearts are broken today, for the parents and
grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the
families of the adults who were lost.
Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors
as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they
know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early,
and there are no words that will ease their pain.
As a country, we have been through this too many
times. Whether it’s an elementary school
in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie
theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago -- these neighborhoods are our
neighborhoods, and these children are our children.
And we're going to have to come together and take
meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the
politics.
This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every
parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll
tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one
another.
But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do
that tonight. And they need all of us right
now. In the hard days to come, that
community needs us to be at our best as Americans. And I will do everything in my power as
President to help.
Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost
child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need -- to remind
them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love
they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in
ours.
May God bless the memory of the victims and, in the
words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
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