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In Their Own Words: Finding Motivation To Fight for Change
Video

In Their Own Words: Finding Motivation To Fight for Change

Abbey Clements, a survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, opens up about her experience dealing with survivor’s guilt and finding renewed purpose advocating to end gun violence.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Gun Violence Prevention, Public Safety, +1 More

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Part of a Series

Abbey Clements was a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20 first-grade students and six educators were killed in the horrific tragedy that took place on December 14, 2012. As Abbey shares, there is no road map for dealing with the intense and complicated emotions one experiences after surviving a mass shooting. However, inspired by her students, Abbey has turned her and her community’s grief into motivation for ending gun violence across America. Abbey has been a tireless advocate for gun violence prevention ever since the 2012 tragedy, and in 2021, she co-founded Teachers Unify To End Gun Violence, a grassroots advocacy organization of educators using their collective voice across America to demand an end to gun violence in our communities.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Chandler Hall

Associate Director, Gun Violence Prevention

Nick Wilson

Senior Director, Gun Violence Prevention

Producers

Olivia Mowry

Video Producer

Hai-Lam Phan

Managing Director, Creative

Team

Gun Violence Prevention

Our goal is to reduce gun violence by enacting strong gun laws, increasing investment in local solutions, and growing the movement dedicated to this mission.

Explore The Series

People attend a candlelight prayer vigil outside Immanuel Church .

Every day, 132 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are shot and wounded. That means that every 11 minutes, families and communities across the country are forever changed by gun violence.

To create healing, solidarity, and progress, we must listen to those affected directly by the gun violence epidemic. By bringing these stories to the forefront of our discussions on gun violence, we can highlight the specific needs of at-risk communities and advocate for a more informed and survivor-focused approach to building safer communities.

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