Victims' Families, Sandy Hook Promise Launch Parenting Campaign

Exactly one month before the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, parents of some victims and the advocacy group Sandy Hook Promise announced what they're calling a "national grassroots campaign" to bring parents together to prevent gun violence.

Calling the initiative "Parent Together," Sandy Hook Promise announced the launch on their website and Facebook page Thursday, also appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" to promote the plan.

"Last year at this time, I was that mom who was deeply saddened by the violence I saw on the news, but I didn't think I could do anything to change it," said Nicole Hockley, the mother of victim Dylan Hockley. "But then it struck home and I knew that to honor Dylan's life, I had to get involved to prevent other parents from experiencing this grief. Through Parent Together, we will build on our common ground as parents and our love for our children to create a national community empowered to make our children safer."

In a statement, Sandy Hook Promise said it would begin using "proven tools and programs" for parents across the country to use in their communities, including mental wellness, community connectedness and gun safety.

"When you talk about preventing gun violence, you can't just talk about guns," said Mark Barden, father of victim Daniel Barden. "Parent Together stresses the importance of our children's mental wellness and the need to strengthen our communities. My little Daniel understood the values of connectedness — to family, friends and community; if we all practice those values, we will create a safer world."

Representatives say they consulted a cross-section of parents, including "gun owners and non-gun owners, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, people of many faiths and from across the economic spectrum."

Founded in the weeks after the shooting, Sandy Hook Promise's campaign to spread the "Sandy Hook Promise" has received more than 256,000 pledges to date.