No matter your age, race, religion, political affiliation or defining demographic, it would seem that everyone should be able to agree that the Sandy Hook shootings were an awful tragedy. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Not long after the burials of the 26 killed in this mass shooting, a group called the Sandy Hook “Truthers” began one of the worst conspiracy theories since 9/11.

The people who are sending out emails, making YouTube videos, and spamming Facebook photos need to take a step back and think about what they are actually saying: the government propagated the shooting of 20 children and six adults with actors and then covered it up so they could pass a gun ban bill.

The so-called “evidence” alleged by these groups can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and many email spam folders.

The conspiracy theory revolves around a picture of a girl who was killed in the shooting also being in a photo with Obama, and that the parents of  a dead child are not acting like grieving parents.

Only the Westboro Baptist Church could provide worse treatment, which already attempted to picket the funerals.

The girl who appeared in the photo with Obama was the sister of the girl killed in the awful shooting.  She was wearing a similar looking dress.

Furthermore, attempting to judge the mannerisms and demeanor of those in intense grief is almost impossible. Simply because one of the parents was smiling before giving a statement at a press conference does not mean that every parent and child is an actor.

Everyone in the U.S. has the right to free speech, but at some point people who make such baseless and insulting claims need to re-examine what they are trying to do and how others will react to what they say.

The idea that the government would create a convoluted story, hire actors to grieve over fake deaths, and then try to pass gun bans as a result is not only foolish, but also outright insulting.

While everyone has the right to protest government action, such as passing gun bans or gun control laws, there are better ways to protest.

The Sandy Hook “Truthers” should review their claims and think about the families and tragedies they are criticizing.

When horrible atrocities occur, we should be supportive of the victims, rather than insult them by alleging the entire event was created by the government for political gain.