John Bacon

USA TODAY

State and U.S. flags across Connecticut were flying at half-staff Monday to honor the memory of the 20 children and six school staffers fatally shot at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown three years ago.

The town and the school district were handling the anniversary in a mostly low-key manner. The Newtown Public School District website made no mention of the anniversary Monday morning. The town's website included a brief mention of an Interfaith Gathering for Prayer and Comfort set for 7 p.m. at a local 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 of the event.

Earlier Monday, the Newtown Recovery and Resiliency Team was providing counseling and a "quiet place to reflect or find support."

The tragedy unfolded shortly after school opened on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot his mother in the home they shared in Newtown, then went to the school where she once taught. Lanza, armed with a semiautomatic rifle and other armaments, shot his way into the front door and quickly encountered Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach. Lanza killed them both before continuing his rampage.

Most of the students who died were first-graders in the same classroom when Lanza stormed in. Lanza, who once had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, fired more than 150 shots in less than five minutes. Police arrived to find the carnage and Lanza, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No officers fired a shot.

The school has been torn down, and a new one is being built on the site.

The shootings prompted heated debate over gun control, but no federal legislation was passed. Connecticut, however, in 2013 adopted one of the nation's strictest gun laws, requiring universal background checks for gun buyers and limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds. The bill added scores of assault-style weapons to the state's list of weapons people are banned from possessing and created a registry for dangerous weapons offenders.

Connecticut continues to lead the fight for gun control. Last week, in response to the terror attack that left 14 people dead in San Bernardino, Calif., Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said he will sign an executive order banning people on federal terrorism watch lists from buying guns in the state.

Gabby Giffords was a congresswoman from Arizona when she was wounded in a mass shooting that left six dead in 2011. She has since co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, "engaging millions of people about ways to reduce gun violence and supporting lawmakers willing to take a stand for responsible policies."

Her tweet Monday: "Thinking of the 26 taken at #SandyHook Elementary School 3 years ago today. We honor their memories through action."

"My heart still breaks with yours," reflecting on Sandy Hook shooting anniversary: