Connecticut Honors the Victims of Sandy Hook on the Three-Year Anniversary

Three years after the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, flags were flown across the state Monday morning to honor the memory of the 26 victims, 20 of whom were young children.

The town has decided to take a more low-key approach for the anniversary. On the town's website, there was a short post about an Interfaith Gathering scheduled for 7 p.m. at a church.

"Faith leaders from the various Newtown religious communities will guide the community by reading from our sacred texts, offering prayers for our community and allowing for times of silence for each individual to reflect and/or pray in his or her own way," the Rev. Matt Crebbin of Newtown Congregational Church said in regards to the gathering, reported by USA TODAY.

The town's Recovery and Resiliency Team also offered counseling as well as a "quiet place" for people who wanted "reflect or find support." The Newtown Public School District, however, chose not to mention the anniversary on their website this year. The school has since been bulldozed to make room for a new one.

The Sandy Hook tragedy began when Adam Lanza, 20, came to the elementary school with a semiautomatic rifle right after school started on Dec. 14, 2012. Lanza opened fire as he made his way through the school, killing six staff members and children from a first-grade classroom. By the time the police arrived, Lanza had already killed himself. In the end, Lanza had fired more than 150 shots in less than five minutes.

Prior to the attack on the school, Lanza, who was once diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, had fatally shot his mother in a home that they shared. His mother previously taught at the school.

Since the attack, an NBC News analysis found that 554 children younger than 12 have died from accidental and intentional gunshot wounds. The analysis used data from news and public health reports.

Connecticut adopted strict gun policies after the attack. The laws now require background checks for all gun purchases and they limit the magazine capacity to 10 rounds. The state also created a registry for people with a history of gun violence.

The country, however, has not toughened gun laws.