Sandy Hook Principal's Daughter Calls Out Lawmakers for Filibuster Threats

Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung was not one to back down from a fight if she thought the end result was positive. And apparently, she's passed that trait down to her daughters.

On Tuesday, the daughter of the woman said to have tried to stop Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza called out senators who have threatened to filibuster a vote on gun control because they say it would infringe on people's right to bear arms.

Erica Lafferty of Naugatuck left phone messages with all 14 Republican lawmakers who have threatened the filibuster. And when they didn't call her back, she took her fight to social media:

"@marcorubio I'll never see my mom again because she was gunned down in Sandy Hook. I don't deserve to be heard?" - She wrote and attached a photo with her mother. 

"@SenDanCoats My mom was gunned down @ Sandy Hook, Alyson will never know her Grandma. We dont deserve to be heard? - Was a second message showing Hochsprung with her baby grandchild. (See more Tweets above via Storify package.) 

Her Tweets were reposted by journalists and others from Connecticut and beyond, and eventually they caught the attention of Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. On Tuesday afternoon, the governor himself called out federal lawmakers.

"@SenTedCruz Please call @E_Laffs2 back. The families deserve to be heard, and they deserve a vote," Malloy wrote; he tweeted to other lawmakers, as well. 

Then it got even more interesting: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, actually called Lafferty back. The two went back and forth on gun control laws and the role of elected officials for about 20 minutes.  

"We elect people to debate and vote on things: wouldn't you say that is your job?," she said to Cruz. "All I'm asking is for the senators to do their job. If you want to vote 'no,' at least you are doing your job, you are giving my mother a voice, you are not letting her die in vain."

On his website, Cruz has vowed to block a vote on the proposed legislation. 

"Sen. Cruz has pledged to use any procedural means necessary to ensure Congress does not pass any laws infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens," his website states. 

She told Patch she's pretty sure she didn't change Cruz' mind, but she was glad he called back and that she got to be heard. Today, Lafferty plans to go on national television to further publicly call out those who didn't return her messages.

Lafferty said she took to social media because couldn't make the trip to Washington with other families affected by Sandy Hook and talk to lawmakers face-to-face. On Tuesday, several Sandy Hook families knocked on doors of lawmakers to ask for their support, and many will remain there throughout the week to further push for stricter gun laws. 

Despite the threat of filibuster, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid has called for a vote today on the gun control measure. (See a video on ABC in which he discusses why he's calling for a vote, including his personal story about how guns affected his life.) 

Newtown Action Alliance announced it will speak out against the filibuster. Here is a press release submitted by that group Tuesday:

Sen. Harry Reid announced the intent to move forward with the gun safety legislation. While there will be no speaking filibuster on the Senate floor, the debate on the legislation will begin on Thursday only if there are 60 votes to proceed.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 10) at 1 p.m., victims and survivors of gun violence will gather with gun violence prevention advocates to participate in “Filibuster the Filibuster: They Deserve a Vote” in Washington DC and Newtown will participate in “Filibuster the Filibuster: Newtown Deserves a Vote" in Newtown at the same time.

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20 children and six adults were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut. And since that tragic day, more than 3,300 additional men, women and children have been killed with guns. Now is the time for action: they deserve a vote.

We are participating in "Filibuster the Filibuster: Newtown Deserves a Vote" to demonstrate to the Senators that any attempt to stop a vote on measure to reduce gun violence is simply not acceptable. The names of each person who has been killed with a gun will be read aloud in front Edmond Town Hall from 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, until the vote on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

The goal of the filibuster the filibuster is to build momentum to ensure that we get the 60 votes on Thursday morning to move the debate forward.