NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — The hearts of Connecticut parents have been ripped out after three children and three adults were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.

The Nashville tragedy was the 129^th mass shooting in the United States in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The tragedy hits close to home for Connecticut parents as 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012.

The Nashville tragedy comes almost a year after the deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

News 8 spoke to Connecticut parents who are demanding action to prevent gun violence. Parents said they want to stop worrying if their child’s school will be next.

“How a place built to prepare children for the rest of their lives can also be the place where it ends,” said Michael Forstorm, a parent from Orange.

Sandy Hook Promise renews call for preventative measures, gun safety after Nashville school shooting

An incident once thought unimaginable is now something parents do think about.

“It rips your heart out. I’m petrified… children should not have to be raised in this environment when they are afraid to be in school,” said Cheryl, an Orange mother and grandmother.

“[I’m] disappointed and angry that we can’t seem to get something done to protect our kids, ”

According to Nashville police,  the suspect, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, wrote notes and had maps of the school detailing the attack.

Former Orange police chief Joseph Dooley said planned incidents like this move more quickly.

“These incidents it really is speed to resolution. People say minutes count, I’d say seconds count,” Dooley said.

Surveillance video shows Hale shooting through a glass door to enter the school and 14 minutes later police had hale surrounded.

Dooley is now a director with Mutualink, a security company that works with businesses, hospitals and schools with automated emergency response.

He told News 8 that giving first responders information before they arrive helps them stop the threat faster and saves lives.

“Very chaotic, there’s never enough help that can come at that time. They are being dispatched to little or no information and then have to get there and report back to command and control. Even the best-locked system or trained system, if someone breaches that building something has to be done quickly,” Dooley said.