Parent of Newtown Victim Heckled by Pro-Gun Supporters
The parent of a Newtown child murdered last month faced an unbelievable challenge when he addressed the Connecticut legislation as they debated several gun control issues. As he held a picture of his son, pro-gun activists began heckling him and tried to silence him from testifying.
A crowd of approximately 1,500 people gathered at the Conn. capitol for hearings on gun control and whether assault rifles should be banned from the state, according to local reports. Members of both sides of the argument made their beliefs known, often at the cost of others. Reports state that there was plenty of back-and-forth across the aisle.
Neil Heslin carried a photo of his son Jesse with him as he testified at the Conn. Capitol; Jesse was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre last month. The Connecticut Post reported that Heslin was openly heckled as he offered his views about gun control.
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"There are a lot of things that should be changed to prevent what happened. That wasn't just a killing, it was a massacre. I just hope some good can come out of this," Heslin said.
"The Second Amendment!" gun enthusiasts yelled while Heslin testified, The Post noted. However, Heslin remained calm and kept on speaking. His action has inspired many and brought new skepticism and shock about the tactics used by some of the pro-gun activists.
"I believe in gun rights, but this is sick. This is pretty much the only issue you could call me 'Conservative' on, but that doesn't stop me from being disgusted and infuriated by the antics of some of my 'allies' on this side of the issue when crap like this happens," bogart3011 posted on Gawker.com.
"We're not all like this, I assure you, not by a long shot," bogart3011 added.
On Tuesday, the Conn. legislative group working on mental health care issues will hold its own hearings concerning gun control.
