Sandy Hook Promise: Victims' families turn heartache into action

NEWTOWN, Conn. (WTNH) — The families of the Sandy Hook victims are turning their heartache into action, one month after the school shooting took their loved ones away from them.

"This is our promise to turn the conversations into actions. Things must change, this is the time," said Nicole Hockley the mother of Dylan Hockley.

Her 6-year-old son Dylan was killed at Sandy Hook. She and other victims' parents say this is their promise to the 26 victims, to do whatever it takes to keep tragedies like this one from happening again.

"This is a promise to do everything in our power to be remembered not as the town filled with grief and victims but as the place where real change began," said Hockley.

"On Friday December 14, I put 2 children on the bus and only one came home. I pray that no mother, father, grandparent or caregiver of children ever have to go through this pain," said Nelba Marquez-Greene the mother of Ana Marquez-Greene.

The Sandy Hook Promise hopes to inspire a national dialogue, to create real change when it comes to gun reform, mental health and protecting our children at school.

"Doing nothing is no longer an option. We have let this happen too many times. If we want real change we have to think, we have to talk and we have to act differently," said Tom Bittman the co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise.

They say the best way to honor those killed in Newtown is to make sure it doesn't become just another tragedy in our country's history but the place where real change began.

"There are 700 people who have died from guns in this country since the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Every single one of those lives should be part of the conversation we have," said Senator Chris Murphy.

"There are steps government can take, there are laws gov't can pass however to accomplish meaningful change we must also look to ourselves," said Bittman.