Ten years on: Remembering the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting ITV News correspondent Robert Moore spoke to the families of two victims

That December day ten years ago, America confronted the unimaginable. A heavily armed gunman on the loose inside a primary school.

On this grim anniversary, Sandy Hook remains a community mourning the 26 children and teachers lost on December 14, 2012.

The atrocity, carried out by a 20-year-old man armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic and a Glock handgun, became a symbol for the absurdity and tragedy of America's gun laws.

But Sandy Hook was not an outlier. It was a warning.

In the decade since the massacre, at least 117 children and teachers have been killed while going to or from school, or in the classroom. Many such deaths don't even attract national news headlines.

I returned to Sandy Hook recently to spend time talking to two parents of children lost in the Sandy Hook school shooting.

Jenny Hubbard lost her 6-year-old daughter. Catherine was a child who loved animals of all sizes and shapes, and she wanted to be a vet.

Today, Jenny is remembering Catherine by opening an animal sanctuary and a "kindness garden."

Mark Barden lost his precious and vivacious son Daniel.

Mark has spent a decade campaigning for the advocacy group, Sandy Hook Promise, seeking to tighten America's gun laws.  

It's an uphill struggle, and while some states have enacted modest gun control measures, others - like Texas - have actually loosened their laws.

America is the land where you are allowed to buy military-grade weapons long before you are allowed to buy a beer.

Having covered the original tragedy in 2012, and having returned recently, I am left humbled by the strength of the Sandy Hook community.

The families of the town's elementary school were visited by pure evil 10 years ago. And yet somehow they have become ambassadors for change, and advocates for a better, safer, kinder America.

There is a long way to go. Change is glacial.

But Sandy Hook isn't just about tragedy. A decade on, it is also about hope.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.