For many there are empty seats at the dinner table during the holidays. At Temple Anshe Hesed, Western PA CeaseFire held a vigil to remember lives that were taken from gun violence. 

Ten years ago, the sandy hook shooting left families without their loved one's.

Josh Fleitman, the Manager for the Western PA CeaseFirePA, reflected on the event.

"What many of remember is kind of the beginning of this era of what seems like constant mass violence at our places of learning, at our houses of worship, at our grocery stores and shopping malls," Fleitman said.

Fleitman also wanted to remember those in PA who lost their lives to gun violence.

" We want to remember the victims of sandy hook, and we want to commemorate them and their lives, but we also want to remember the 15,000 Pennsylvanians who have died by gun violence since the sandy hook school shooting."

Mass shootings only account for 1 percent of deaths caused by gun violence.

Suicides by firearms and community based homicides are more common.

Erie county has lost 4 people from community homicides just this year.

There was grief and healing present at the vigil.

"Healing is so important, trauma is such a pervasive part of this gun violence crisis, and healing is a lot of what we want to do here tonight, we want to bring people together in a welcoming warm environment, where we can remember those we lost," Fleitman said.

To help prevent future deaths by firearms, CeaseFirePA pushes lawmakers to pass preventative gun violence legislation.

"Here in PA we're calling for three basic pieces of legislation, to prevent gun violence, we call it our common agenda to end gun violence, and the first two are really going to help prevent mass shootings," Fleitman said.

Speakers for the vigil included family members of victims of gun violence, faith leaders, educators, students and other community members.