Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Newtown edition

Sandy Hook ride on Washington:  

A team of 26 bicyclists will ride 400 miles from Newtown to Washington, D.C. in four days, beginning Sunday morning [it's Sat March 9 - ed], organizers said.

The community will give the "Sandy Hook Ride on Washington" a sendoff at 8:30 a.m. at Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane, hosted by First Selectwoman Pat Llodra.

Among the others making appearances will be U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4.

The riders will arrive in Washington, D.C. for a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at 1 pm on Tuesday.

The Sandy Hook Ride on Washington aims to memorialize the 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by raising awareness about the immediate need for gun safety legislation.

Three of the riders are from Newtown, including Monte Frank, Bill Muzzio and Chris Peck. Two riders have children who went to the Sandy Hook School and the team includes parents, teachers, a Newtown police Officer and a Vietnam veteran.

This is an amazing show of support for the community. These are elite riders:

They are a mix of professional, top amateur, and masters cyclists from the Northeast. Our team includes a former US National Team member, Canadian National Team member, Masters National Champion, and State and Regional Champions.

Why are they doing it?

We support measures to help curb gun violence:

' Requiring all gun buyers pass criminal background checks*
' a ban of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines*
' making gun trafficking a federal crime, including real penalties for 'straw buyers'*
' strengthen gun ownership restrictions for people with severe mental illness

We understand this issue is complex; but together we can ensure that specific actions are taken to prevent tragedies like those in Newtown, CT. Keeping children safe is an obligation we all share.

*source: Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Newtown is an amazing place, with so many people wanting to contibute in ways they can. Quilters quilt, riders ride, and so many people in town contribute in ways great and small, some public and many private. Here's more about the riders themselves. And there's more politics below the fold.