Understanding Brain Health Can Prevent Another Sandy Hook Shooting

Abstract

It has been said in many different ways and in many different contexts that, in life, we have little control over what happens to us. However, what we do have control over is we respond to life events. Indeed, it could be argued that it is each of us responds to life's challenges that make up the core of our individuality and character. When faced with tragedy, we all respond in different ways. When our daughter, Avielle Rose, was murdered with 19 of her classmates and 6 of her educators on December 14, 2012, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, my wife and I were faced with the most tragic crucible of our lives. On that day we lost our future, our reason, and our greatest joy. We questioned, Why would anyone want to commit such a heinous act of violence? We are now driven to answer this question, not only for ourselves but also for the people from all over the world who wrote letters of condolence to us, many asking the same and similar questions, How could this be happening again after Littleton, Tucson, and Aurora? How many more of these mass shootings do we endure? Being scientists, we are compelled to seek answers to questions that begin with how and why. And in response to this tragedy, we have started the Avielle Foundation. Our goal is to take a scientifically rigorous approach to preventing violence, violence of any kind, but certainly we want to understand the brain pathologies that underlie a young man's obsession with mass murder. Therefore, the mission of The Avielle Foundation is to prevent violence through research, discovery, understanding, and education. Language: en