Optimism in the face of despair

Activists see reason for hope in reducing gun violence

I nearly always see the glass half full. The perspective is the lasting gift from my mother, who was a relentless optimist.

But every time a mass shooting occurs, I enter a very dark space.

I live a little over an hour from Newtown, Conn. On Dec. 14 it will be 10 years since a very sick and troubled young man in Newtown used an assault weapon to kill …