Nicole Hockley, who lost her son 6-year- old Dylan at Sandy Hook Elementary School, emceed the Sandy Hook Promise’s event to honor "promise champions" in Washington on Wednesday.
The mother said so-called Sandy Hook hoaxers— who claim the tragedy never happened— have "wreaked hell in our lives."
"All I've done is have a child murdered and I'm trying to create something positive out of that. And for someone to attack me for that— I just can't understand that mentality at all," Hockley said.
Hockley told NBC Connecticut she does not engage with conspiracy theorists because she does not want to feed fuel to the fire. But she did reach out to NBC’s Megyn Kelly, whose controversial interview with Sandy Hook denier Alex Jones airs Sunday.
"She's been very respectful and very gracious. We have a difference of opinion here. She believes in what she is doing, I believe in what I am doing and I believe she is making the wrong decision by broadcasting this interview," Hockley said.
Sandy Hook Promise, an anti-gun violence group, said it had asked Kelly to step down as host of its Wednesday-night gala in Washington. The group cannot support Kelly or NBC's decision to give a platform to Jones and hopes NBC reconsiders its plan to broadcast the interview, said Hockley.
"What I think we're doing is journalism," Kelly said in a statement. "The bottom line is that while it's not always popular, it's important. I would submit to you that neither I nor NBC News has elevated Alex Jones in any way. He's been elevated by 5 or 6 million viewers or listeners, and by the president of the United States. As you know, journalists don't get the choice over who has power or influence in our country."
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Mark Barden lost his 7-year-old son Daniel in the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012.
"I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone and all I can see it is probably just too intense...too hard for someone to wrap their head around," Barden said.
Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, founded the organization with Barden.
"The fact that anyone could believe that what we live with every day is not true or that my son never lived or that my son never died or that I'm some crisis actress is reprehensible, deplorable and completely unacceptable," Hockley said.
What no one can deny is the spirit of Sandy Hook Promise.
"The ultimate goal of Sandy Hook promise is to teach people that gun violence is preventable when you know the signs," Hockley said.
Connecticut lawmakers who call for more gun control in the United States also spoke at the gala in Washington, DC on Wednesday.
"They really want to make the world safer, more knowledgeable, more caring," Senator Richard Blumenthal said about the foundation.
Senator Chris Murphy echoed Blumenthal's statement and added that the group does well not politicizing issues.
"You got Republicans here, you got Democrats here. What Sandy Hook Promise does so well is to try to depoliticize this issue. Yes they care about background checks, but they're also just trying to make sure that families and educators know how to identify the signs of serious mental illness," Murphy said.
Hockley said Sandy Hook Promise goes around the country to educate people on the signs of risky behavior and that it has helped stop multiple school shootings and suicides already.
The foundation promises to keep alive the memories of the 26 lives lost in 2012.
"It's emotional for me and it's never going to go away and I wouldn't want it to go away. I keep my little Daniel close to my heart all the time. There's not a minute that goes by that my heart isn't breaking and that I don't desperately miss my little boy," Barden said.
