4 years after Newtown, gun control advocates tailor efforts
HARTFORD, Conn. — With the election of NRA-backed Donald Trump as president, gun control advocates are putting more emphasis on a long-term strategy of electing like-minded lawmakers, passing state legislation and fostering a grassroots network that grew out of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting four years ago.
Activists say they have generated a big enough support base since the massacre of 20 children and six adults inside the Newtown schoolhouse to bypass Washington and push for state-level measures such as universal background checks and persuade more restaurant chains to stop allowing patrons to carry guns.