Furious Sandy Hook families slam Trump for 'appalling lack of humanity' after he hosted NRA's Wayne LaPierre at the White House on massacre's fifth anniversary

  • Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012
  • Now a strong advocate for gun control, Hockley, was outraged to see NRA VP Wayne LaPierre at a White House party on the tragedy's fifth anniversary
  • 'The appalling lack of humanity and decency has not gone unnoticed,' she wrote
  • Hockley said that Trump failed to even mention the fifth anniversary of the shooting which claimed the lives of 20 children and six staff members
  • Instead 'he slapped us all in the face by having none other than NRA President Wayne LaPierre at his White House Christmas party that night'
  • LaPierre was one of the most vocal opponents of gun control after Sandy Hook
  • 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun', he famously said at the time 

The families who lost their children in the Sandy Hook mass shooting are furious after Donald Trump hosted an NRA top exec at the White House on the massacre's fifth anniversary.

Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.

Hockley later became one of the founding members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a group advocating for gun control and mental health programs 'so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child.'

Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut
Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut

Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut

So she and the other victims' families were outraged when Trump chose to mark the fifth anniversary of the senseless tragedy, by inviting the National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre to the White House Christmas party on December 14.

'December 14th marked five years since my six-year-old son, Dylan, was murdered in his first grade classroom alongside 19 of his classmates and 6 educators,' Nicole Hockley wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Sunday.

'Not only did [Trump] ignore the 5-year remembrance completely — not even a single tweet — he slapped us all in the face by having none other than NRA President Wayne LaPierre at his White House Christmas party that night. 

'The appalling lack of humanity and decency has not gone unnoticed.'

She continued: 'While they ignorantly partied and remained uninformed on an issue that kills thousands of Americans every year, I was crying myself to sleep. While they got the chance to kiss their children goodnight, I kissed the urn holding my beautiful boy's ashes.'

On Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) posted a photo of himself, posing with Wayne LaPierre (rigth) at the holiday party, on Facebook

On Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) posted a photo of himself, posing with Wayne LaPierre (rigth) at the holiday party, on Facebook

Trump (pictured at an event on Saturday) and the NRA have a good relationship and he spoke at their annual meeting earlier this year

Trump (pictured at an event on Saturday) and the NRA have a good relationship and he spoke at their annual meeting earlier this year

'I would request an apology. But I'm not sure there are any hearts in the White House that would understand why an apology is the least they could do.'

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, there calls from politicians all over the country, and President Barack Obama himself, for increased gun control in the US.

But LaPierre was one of the most vocal opponents, suggesting that school staff should arm themselves instead, famously saying: 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.'

His comments were met with dismay from the victims' families who have become strong advocates for gun control.

Hockley told Yahoo News earlier this month that she was deeply frustrated with the gun lobby's outright refusal to discuss gun control despite the countless mass shootings that occur in the US every year.

'It is frustrating that it constantly becomes a fight, with people retreating to their corners and not willing to listen to each other,' Hockley said. 

Hockley later became one of the founding members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a group advocating for gun controls and mental health programs to 'so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child'

Hockley later became one of the founding members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a group advocating for gun controls and mental health programs to 'so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child'

Her son Dylan was killed in one of the worst school shootings in US history

Her son Dylan was killed in one of the worst school shootings in US history

'I think we can all agree we just want to be safe, and we want to keep our kids safe, and be able to have them go to school during the day and then come home at night. Isn't that something that every parent wants? That's not about politics. That's about protection. That's about prevention. That's where we need to be having this conversation.'

'Whenever anyone says it's too soon to talk about gun violence, they're wrong. It's too late. It's too late for us.' 

On Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted a photo of himself, posing with LaPierre at the holiday party, on Facebook.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the New York Daily News she wasn't sure if LaPierre and Trump spoke at the event. 

However, Trump and the NRA have a good relationship and he spoke at their annual meeting earlier this year. 

'Only one candidate in the general election came to speak to you, and that candidate is now the president of the United States, standing before you,' he said at the conference in April. 'You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you.' 

The gun lobby group had officially endorsed Trump for president in 2016.

Street artist Mark Panzarino, prepares a memorial as he writes the names of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims during the six-month anniversary of the massacre, at Union Square in New York on June 14, 2013

Street artist Mark Panzarino, prepares a memorial as he writes the names of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims during the six-month anniversary of the massacre, at Union Square in New York on June 14, 2013

Twenty-seven wooden angel figures are seen placed in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of the shooting in 2012

Twenty-seven wooden angel figures are seen placed in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of the shooting, including Lanza

Hockley is one of my grieving parents who have sought ways to find meaning in advocacy.

Many relatives of the 26 children and educators killed five years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School dedicated themselves to charity, activism and other efforts to channel their grief and, in many cases, to help prevent violence.

'You have two choices,' said Rebecca Kowalski, whose 7-year-old son, Chase, died in Newtown. 'I could be in the bottom of a bottle; I could not get out of my bed. Or, I could do what's making us heal a little bit every day.

Some organizations, like the Kowalski's youth triathlon program, honor the passions of the children who were lost on December 14, 2012.

Others have jumped into the policy fray to lobby for gun control or improved mental health care. In some cases, they have traveled the country, and even the world, as recognized experts in their fields, such as Jeremy Richman, a scientist whose Avielle Foundation for the study of brain health is named for his slain daughter.

Sandy Hook Promise, one of the best-known organizations to form in the shooting's aftermath, was co-founded by several Newtown families, including the parents of first-grade victims Hockley and Daniel Barden.

The group lobbied for mental health care changes and gun control legislation in the months after the shooting, successfully advocating for state laws limiting sales of some guns in states such as Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois and New Jersey.

This handout crime scene evidence photo provided by the Connecticut State Police shows damage done to the front entrance at Sandy Hook Elementary School following the  shooting

This handout crime scene evidence photo provided by the Connecticut State Police shows damage done to the front entrance at Sandy Hook Elementary School following the shooting

Pictured is Adam Lanza, who entered Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, and shot dead 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself

Pictured is Adam Lanza, who entered Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, and shot dead 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself

The group also was heavily involved in a failed effort in 2013 to get a federal law banning some semi-automatic weapons and expanding criminal and mental background checks for gun purchases.

The group says it had 17 families from Sandy Hook who lobbied 49 senators over seven days.

Sandy Hook Promise then switched its focus from legislation to community-based prevention programs, education and public service campaigns designed to change 'gun violence acceptance attitudes and behaviors,' said Hockley.

Among other things, the organization teaches people to recognize those who exhibit warning signs such as a bullying victim who has a fascination with firearms, has threatened to hurt themselves or others, has access to guns and has become disinterested in school.

They point to events such as one in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2015 where a counselor trained by the organization was able to identify a threat to a middle school that resulted in the arrest of a student who had told others he was planning to bomb the school and had recruited others to help shoot children.

'We absolutely know it's making a difference because we've trained over 2million children and adults in the last 2 1/2 years,' Hockley said.

The group last week launched its latest public service announcement, depicting a newscast covering a school shooting the day before it actually takes place to illustrate how knowing warning signs can prevent such tragedies.

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