Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
A mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, in which 20 children and six adults were killed.
Sandy Hook Elementary School: An elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six adults were killed in a 2012 mass shooting. The school was the site of the attack and the central place in its aftermath.
Sandy Hook Promise: A nonprofit organization founded by Sandy Hook families to prevent gun violence through education and advocacy. Families affected by the shooting founded the organization in response to the tragedy.
Sandy Hook shooting investigation: The law-enforcement inquiry into the Sandy Hook shooting, its perpetrator, and the events preceding it. Its records and findings provide the authoritative account of the attack.
Gun politics in the United States: Political conflicts over firearms, gun ownership, regulation, and public safety in the United States. The shooting became a major reference point in national debates over gun laws.
Adam Lanza: The perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Investigators identified Lanza as the gunman.
Sandy Hook school shooting conspiracy theories: False claims alleging that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged or that its victims did not exist. These claims led to years of harassment of victims' families and a defamation lawsuit.
Connecticut State Police: The statewide police agency responsible for law enforcement in Connecticut. State police led the investigation and published a detailed report on the shooting.
Federal assault weapons ban: A United States federal law, effective from 1994 to 2004, that restricted certain semiautomatic firearms and magazines. Its expiration became part of arguments over whether similar restrictions could prevent mass shootings.
Newtown, Connecticut: A town in western Connecticut and the location of Sandy Hook Elementary School. The attack took place in this town and reshaped its community.
Jones v. Alex Jones: A defamation case in which Sandy Hook parents sued Alex Jones for falsely claiming the shooting was staged. The families' successful lawsuits addressed the consequences of his false claims.