In this issue of Disaster Health.

Context: School-based “rampage shooting” in Newtown, Connecticut, USA, December 2012. Distinguishing features of this event, psychological ramifications, and social media coverage are examined. Among rampage shooting massacres, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut galvanized public attention. This Commentary examines the features of this episode of gun violence that generated strong reactions and energized discourse. Authors describe six distinguishing features of the event that coalesced into a riveting story and a call for action: First, the shooting was random and extreme. Second, Americans identified closely with Newtown. Third, a sitting President made this rampage shooting his personal mission. Fourth, as described using the Population Exposure Model, powerful psychological reactions spread nationwide. Fifth, the mass media “framing” brought continuous and intense focus to this episode. Sixth, social media messaging reverberated throughout the “digital sphere,” keeping individuals engaged in multi-way conversation. Collectively, these elements created a “tipping point” moment with potential for prompting constructive solutions to diminish high rates of firearm deaths and injuries in the United States.