Welcome to the Words Matter Library.

She is a mother of five who until December of 2012 was a stay-at-home mom and former communications

executive.

The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon Watts started a Facebook group with a message

that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence.

An online conversation turned into a grassroots movement, Mom's Demand Action, which now

has a chapter in every state and is part of every town for gun safety, the largest gun violence

prevention organization in the country with nearly six million members.

Shannon Watts is the author of Fight Like a Mother, How a Grass Roots Movement took on

the gun lobby and why women will change the world.

She's also an active board member of Emerge America, one of the leading organizations for

recruiting and training women to run for office.

Shannon Watts, welcome to Words Matter.

Thank you, thank you for having me on.

Take us back to December of 2012.

What happened and how did you react?

I was a stay-at-home mom, five living in Indiana and I can remember folding laundry that day

and watching the news.

And it said that a horrific shooting tragedy had happened in New Town, Connecticut.

And I can remember thinking, dear God, don't let this be as horrible as it seems.

And as we all know, it was worse than really the human mind can fathom that 21st graders

and six educators would be murdered in the Sanctity of Elementary School.

...