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7 years after Sandy Hook, siblings of victims turn to activism

Twenty first graders and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary on Dec. 14, 2012.
Credit: AP
In this Dec. 3, 2019, photo, Mark Barden and his daughter Natalie Barden hold a photograph of Natalie's late brother, Daniel, at their home in Newtown, Conn. Daniel died in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators. Natalie, 17, is among Newtown students who have grown up to become young voices in the gun violence prevention movement. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

Saturday marks the seventh anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Twenty first graders and six adults were killed by a gunman on Dec. 14, 2012. The 20-year-old had also fatally shot his mother at their home before carrying out the attack on the school. 

Siblings of the victims and students who lived through it have grown up to become young voices of the gun violence prevention movement.

Natalie Barden's brother, Daniel, died at age 7. She's now a 17-year-old high school senior who's active in gun control advocacy. 

J.T. Lewis lost his 6-year-old brother, Jesse, in the shooting. He's now a University of Connecticut student running for state Senate as a Republican and calling for better school security and mental health programs.

RELATED: Sandy Hook lawsuit could force Remington to open books

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A Connecticut judge has set a September 2021 trial date for a lawsuit by families of Sandy Hook victims against the maker of the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre. A survivor and relatives of nine victims filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Remington in 2015, saying the company should have never sold such a dangerous weapon to the public.

In another court case, InfoWars host Alex Jones is asking to have a defamation lawsuit against him dismissed. 

Jones, who has claimed the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, says the lawsuit filed by the father of one of the victims has caused "intentional infliction of emotional distress," according to Newsweek, citing the Austin American-Statesman.

Credit: AP
In this Dec. 3, 2019, photo, Mark Barden and his daughter Natalie Barden hold a photograph of Natalie's late brother, Daniel, at their home in Newtown, Conn. Daniel died in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators. Natalie, 17, is among Newtown students who have grown up to become young voices in the gun violence prevention movement. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

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