It was a day marked by a promise from Sandy Hook parents, new recommendations on gun control from Washington, and moments of remembrance around the country.
In the western suburb of Batavia, friends and neighbors gathered for a candlelight vigil to remember the lives lost.
They said they want the memory of what happened there to stay fresh as the nation struggles to find solutions to gun violence.
In the nation's capital, Vice President Biden's task force issued its recommendations, which include stronger background checks for all gun purchases, a ban on high capacity magazine clips and a renewed ban on assault weapons.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll found a majority of Americans support those actions.
But 288 members of Congress have an A rating from the National Rifle Association for having opposed all gun control measures.
"My starting point is not to worry about the politics. My starting point is to focus on what makes sense, what works," said President Obama.
But his opponents say this is a battle they will win.
"We don't think there is much likelihood that Congress is going to move on making gun control laws worse than they are," said Larry Pratt with the Gun Owners of America.
While the debate goes on, gun and ammunition sales continue at a record pace.
In Newtown, parents of children who died said it is time to be open to all possibilities that could make communities safer.
"This is a promise to do everything in our power to be remembered not as the town filled with grief and victims, but as the place where real change began. Our hearts are broken, our spirit is not. This is my promise- a Sandy Hook promise," said Nicole Hockley, mother of a victim killed during the school shooting.|
Meanwhile, President Obama said he is also considering actions that can be taken by presidential authority without waiting for Congress.
