Parents of some of the children who were killed inside Sandy Hook Elementary more than three months ago came to the State Capitol on Friday to meet with legislative leaders and the governor's office.
"We want to see Connecticut lead in a good strong legislative effort to bring about change and a safer nation," Mark Barden, who lost his son Daniel, said.
The bi-partisan group of lawmakers continue to meet behind closed doors to craft tougher gun laws in the wake of the shooting which left 20 children and 6 educators dead.
"We wanted to come up here and support them and get our message to them," Barden said.
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Jimmy Greene, who lost his daughter Ana, was pleased with the conversations with legislative leaders.
"I'm encouraged to know that there are people willing to do the work and we just have to make sure it gets done," Greene said.
Earlier in the day gun control advocates held a news conference and delivered letters to legislative leaders. The letters were signed by some of the families, clergy and others who live in Newtown.
"This is not a political issue," Erin Nikitchyuk, a parent of a 3rd grader who survived the shooting, said. "A bullet does not ask what your political affiliation is when it hits you. This is a public health crisis."
Their letter calls on lawmakers to pass a bill that would include universal background checks, a ban on high capacity magazines and a tougher assault weapons ban.
The sticking point between legislative leaders appears to be over the ban and future sales of high capacity magazines.
"Fourteen weeks of talk without action is not enough," Ron Pinciaro, the executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said. "We need a vote."
Also on Friday, legislative leaders met with the chief state's attorney to hear an update on the investigation into the December 14 shooting. The meeting came one day after lawmakers sharply criticized state police for leaking details about the case to the media. The conversation was described as productive, according to legislative sources.
