Richard Martinez, the father of one of the victims of a shooting rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara, railed against Congress this week for failing to act on gun control in the wake of the 2012 elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn.
At least one parent of a Newtown victim was listening.
Mark Barden, the father of a 7-year-old killed in Newtown, wrote an open letter Tuesday to Martinez on the Facebook page for Sandy Hook Promise, a group that represents families of some of the Newtown victims.
“We have not met, but you are now part of our extended family,” Barden wrote. “It is not a family we chose, but a family born from the horrible circumstance of losing a child to gun violence—one that’s only growing each day.”
“We have reached out to you privately but publicly we wanted to say to you and those feeling the sorrow, anger and frustration of this weeks’ shooting, you are not alone,” he continued. “It has helped me, and some of the other family members who lost children and family at Sandy Hook Elementary, to come together and advocate for common sense solutions to expanding programs for mental wellness and gun safety solutions. You will find your own path down this difficult road. But know that we are here for you and all of you who have been touched by this tragedy.”
