Vigil Draws Mourners on Sandy Hook Anniversary

Representative from Congressman Seth Moulton's office, Dhruba Sen of The Brady Project, and Ann Marie Crowell

A small number of mourners made it to the Unitarian Universalist Church Dec. 14 for a vigil to honor victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting and other victims of gun violence. Candles were lit and bells rung for the 26 children and educators, along with local victims of gun violence, including the son of Saugus resident Ann Marie Crowell, who spoke briefly about the death of her son.

12-year-old Brian Crowell was shot and killed on Christmas Eve of 1997 in Saugus when his friend was showing him an unlocked rifle he found in his mother's home.

Crowell told Patch, "My personal mission is to educate parents who own guns, legally, who don't store them properly. I'm more of a gun safety advocate. This is a different piece of the pie. I am not anti-gun, but I am minus a child." The gun that killed Brian was legally obtained by his friend's mother, who sought the gun for protection during domestic abuse. In 2007, Crowell founded the nonprofit Mother on a Mission with her daughter to speak about gun safety across the U.S.

The Brady Project estimates over 120,000 have died from gun violence since the shooting.