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    A Newtown Family's Campaign To Change How We Think About Violence

    Avielle Richman was 6 years old when she was killed in her first-grade classroom. Her parents think a possible solution to gun violence is to treat it like a disease.
    by Tovia Smith Dec 12, 2017 8 minutes
    Five years ago, Avielle Richman, 6, was shot in her first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

    This week marks five years since the mass shooting that killed 20 young children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

    One of those killed was 6-year-old Avielle Richman, who was shot in her first-grade classroom. Her parents, Jeremy Richman and Jennifer Hensel, plan to spend this year's anniversary day quietly, at home with the two children they had after Avielle's death.

    But as painful as Dec. 14 always is for them, Richman and Hensel say the roller coaster ride leading up to it can feel even worse. They celebrate their 3-year-old daughter Imogen's birthday in October. Baby Owen's birthday is in November. And right in between is the day they should be celebrating Avielle's.

    "There's really no way to appropriately recognize your lost child's birthday," sighs Richman. This year, he and Hensel have invited a small group of friends to join them on the day Avielle would have turned 11, including Francine and David Wheeler, whose son Benjamin was also killed at Sandy Hook. Also around the table are the Wheelers' 14-year-old son Nate, who survived the shooting from just a few doors away, and their 3-year-old son Matty.

    They're feeling their way as they go. Richman puts out a plate of 11 cupcakes, with a birthday

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