(The following letter to Tom Foley, the Republican candidate for governor, has been received for publication.)

Dear Mr. Foley,

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Karen Wilk, and I work at Sandy Hook School in Sandy Hook (Newtown), CT. You may have heard of us. I have worked at the school for over 17 years now and was very much present on December 14, 2012, when a troubled young man came into my beloved school and gunned down 26 people who meant the world to so many.

I have just finished reading an article from The Huffington Post about remarks you made on Wednesday, August 6, 2014. I understand that The Huffington Post is a very left-leaning publication, but I don't think they are legally allowed to misquote you. I take issue with many things that you said and I feel that I need to point a few things out to you.

*“I don't have the staff available to prepare an alternative bill and we're talking about something that happened several years ago...”

8/6/14 is just under 20 months since 12/14; 20 months is not 2 years, let alone “several years.”

* “These guns were bought with a background check and everything was

legal.”

THAT is why the background check laws needed to be adjusted. Mrs Lanza should never have been allowed to keep an arsenal in her house where her mentally troubled son would have easy access.

*“...there were a lot of inconveniences put on law-abiding citizens that wouldn't have prevented what happened in Newtown.”

Inconveniences? So, you are saying that the safety of our children is less important than “inconveniencing” law-abiding citizens? The changes did not harm any law-abiding citizens, but they may very well save lives in the future. If you are truly “...looking down the road” and “...looking ahead,” instead of just looking to the next election, then you might be able to see this.

I envy you, Mr Foley. You may be able to view 12/14 as a “thing of the past.” For me and for all the other adults and children that were in the school that day, and those who lost loved ones, it is a thing of every morning, every afternoon and every night; yesterday, today, tomorrow. For us it will never be a thing of the past. For us it is in every thought we think, every breath we take.

Consider yourself lucky you do not have to live with it. But please, do not trivialize what happened here just to pander to your Republican base.

Sincerely,

Karen Wilk

Sandy Hook

Lyrical Lane, Sandy Hook           August 14, 2014