A Bronx, N.Y. woman pleaded guilty Thursday to charges she fraudulently collected money in the name one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Nouel Alba, 37, entered the plea in Bridgeport Federal Court Thursday afternoon.

The day of the shooting, Alba set up a Facebook page claiming to be the aunt of 6-year-old shooting victim Noah Pozner. The next day she started collecting money, she said, to help pay for Pozner's funeral expenses, according to prosecutors. One day later, Alba sent an email to the Sandy Hook PTA asking for donations.

Alba was indicted in May.

On Thursday, Alba admitted she is not related to Pozner and admitted to the scheme. She accepted a plea deal that could give her up to six months in jail if the federal prosecutors don't ask for a longer sentence. The charges of wire fraud and making a false statement carry a maximum of 25 years in prison.

She will be sentenced in federal court in Hartford on August 29.

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The nail polish company OPI and Sandy Hook Promise have launched a new, limited edition nail color called “Sandy Hook Green” to raise money for Sandy Hook Promise.

The nail polish will be launched at the first Sandy Hook Green Salon-a-Thon event at Ricci’s Salon & Spa and Academy of Cosmetology in Newtown on Sunday, May 19,  from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

OPI has pledged to donate 10,000 bottles of "Sandy Hook Green" to Sandy Hook Promise to support efforts to keep communities safer.

Ricci’s Salon & Spa and Academy of Cosmetology in Newtown will give a free bottle of "Sandy Hook Green" on May 19 to anyone who purchases a variety of salon services.  The bottles also will be available at the event with a $10 donation to Sandy Hook Promise.

Sandy Hook Promise works to support those affected by the Sandy Hook School tragedy and help the community heal as well as support solutions to make our country safer from similar acts of violence.

Newly released documents on Newtown shooter Adam Lanza's brief college career add a few small details about his life but do little to answer any questions about what motivated him to kill.

The Western Connecticut State University paperwork, released Tuesday, outline Lanza's attempts, after completing his high school credits early, to continue his education.

In May 2008, just after his 16th birthday, Lanza took an algebra placement exam, saying in his background questionnaire that he did not want to indicate his gender or anything about his background. He scored a 95.9.

That summer, Lanza took two computer science classes, earning an A and an A-minus, the documents show. He followed up in the fall with another computer science class, which he withdrew from, and a philosophy class titled "Introduction to Ethical Theory," in which he earned a C.

Lanza began the spring 2009 semester with classes in German and American history, but apparently dropped his studies soon afterward.

The records end there.

Nearly four years later, on Dec. 14, 2012, Lanza, 20, killed his mother at home in Newtown and drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he gunned down 20 first-graders and six educators before committing suicide.

Investigators searched the Lanza home and found a massive cache of guns, knives, swords and ammunition, according to documents released by authorities last week.

Those documents not only described a household enamored with guns, but also raised questions about what Lanza's 52-year-old mother, Nancy, knew about the danger that her son posed, and whether she was complicit in allowing him to obtain guns.

Among the paperwork taken from the home they shared were photographs of what appeared to be a bloody body, a New York Times article about a 2008 mass shooting at Northern Illinois University, self-help books for understanding the minds of people with Asperger's Syndrome and autism, a paperback entitled "Train Your Brain to Get Happy," a guide to pistol shooting and a holiday card containing a check Nancy Lanza wrote to Adam for the purchase of a firearm.

Newtown Connecticut gunman Adam Lanza, who killed 26 people, including 20 children inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School last December, had researched previous shootings, including the 2008 massacre at Northern Illinois University.

An article referencing the NIU shooting was among the items investigators found at Lanza's home following the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., according to documents released Thursday.

Search warrants revealed the Feb. 18, 2008, New York Times newspaper clipping was seized from the home along with a massive collection of guns and ammunition, and three images of what appeared to be a deceased human covered with plastic and blood.

The Times story was entitled “First on the Scene, Again, Is the College Newspaper,” and it detailed the coverage of the shooting by NIU’s "Northern Star" student paper.

"You can never know what’s going on in any one person’s mind," said former Northern Star editor John Puterbaugh, who said what he remembered most from that day in Dekalb was "disarray."

"I remember when it happened, students were reacting as you might expect they would, fleeing the building…and just doing our best to be journalists," he said.

Puterbaugh, now a content manager with Wrapports, the parent of the Chicago Sun-Times, says what he finds most disturbing is that Lanza, in Connecticut, seemed fascinated by the media coverage of the NIU shooting.

"You can only wonder what his interest was," Puterbaugh said. "Was it an attempt to gauge the potential reaction his own crimes would elicit? Was it a curiosity about what the public is going to have to go through, after a crime like that happens?"

The disturbing finds were detailed in a long-awaited set of court documents revealing what investigators found when they searched Lanza's home and car after the massacre.

The Connecticut prosecutor leading the investigation into the massacre said Thursday that Lanza killed all 20 children, six adults then himself at Sandy Hook within five minutes of storming the school.

He fired 154 rounds with a Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle then took his own life with a single shot from a Glock 10 mm handgun, Danbury State's Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III said. Investigators found that he still carried 3 additional magazines, each of which contained 30 rounds.

After the shooting, investigators found Lanza’s car, a black 2010 four-door Honda Civic sedan, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School parking lot. Inside, they found the 12-gauge shotgun, and 70 rounds of ammunition.

At the Lanza home, investigators said they found that the family kept a veritable arsenal of ammunition, guns and even swords. The search turned up a variety of receipts and emails documenting firearms, ammunition, and other shooting supplies. Police reported they found information about the Sandy Hook school itself, personal journals, and school paperwork pertaining to Adam Lanza. They also found numerous books about mental health, including one entitled, "Look Me in the Eye -- My Life With Asburger’s," and another, "Born on a Blue Day -- Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant."

Adam Lanza was said to have been diagnosed with Asberger’s Syndrome, which mental health experts say is not associated with violence.

Investigators said they also found a copy of the "NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting," and a holiday card from Adam Lanza’s mother, containing a check made out to her son for the purchase of a firearm.

Nancy Lanza was her son’s first victim. Her body was found in her bed, with a single gunshot wound to the forehead.

The shooting at Northern Illinois University is one the state will not soon forget.

On Feb. 14, 2008, Steven Kazmierczak fatally shot five students before turning the gun on himself during a geology class in Cole Hall at NIU.

In total 25 people were shot in the lecture hall. NIU has since marked the tragedy yearly as families and students stop to remember and hope to move forward.

On the day of the Sandy Hook shootings, Gov. Pat Quinn said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the horrific massacre," offering prayers on behalf of Illinois and recalling the state's own tragedy in 2008.

"We know firsthand from the tragedy that took place on February 14, 2008 in a classroom at Northern Illinois University that guns have no place in any school, at anytime, anywhere in Illinois or America."

Newtown killer Adam Lanza and his mother kept their home stocked with a massive cache of guns, knives, swords and ammunition — a startling array of weapons described in newly released documents that sketch a portrait of a household enamored with firearms and of a young man apparently coping with emotional issues.

The documents, released Thursday morning, outline what police found in the home following Lanza's Dec. 14 rampage, which began with him shooting his mother in bed and culminated with a massacre inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he gunned down 20 first graders and six adults and then killed himself. The school attack is believed to have lasted less than five minutes.

They also raise new questions about what Lanza's 52-year-old mother, Nancy, knew about the danger that her son posed, and whether she was complicit in allowing him to obtain guns.

For full U.S. news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

Among the paperwork taken from the home they shared were photographs of what appeared to be a bloody body, a New York Times article about a 2008 mass shooting at Northern Illinois University, self-help books for understanding the minds of people with Asperger's Syndrome and autism, a paperback entitled "Train Your Brain to Get Happy," a guide to pistol shooting and a holiday card containing a check Nancy Lanza wrote to Adam for the purchase of a firearm.

A witness told FBI agents that Adam Lanza "rarely leaves his home" and was considered a "shut-in" and avid video game player, the documents say. The witness, whose identity was blacked out of the text, also told agents that Adam Lanza had attended Sandy Hook and that the school was his "life."

The documents also show that Adam Lanza kept a gun safe and a military-style uniform in his bedroom, and that he and his mother some sort of certificates from the National Rifle Association.

The NRA said in a statement to NBC News Thursday there "is no record of a member relationship between Newtown killer Adam Lanza, nor between Nancy Lanza, A. Lanza or N. Lanza with the National Rifle Association. Reporting to the contrary is reckless, false and defamatory."

Police seized several of Adam Lanza's personal journals and drawings, a smashed hard drive, handwritten notes on the addresses of local gun shops and several printed emails. The documents do not indicate what they contained. 

The list of weapons found in the home reads like the contents of a survivalist bunker. The guns included an Enfield Albion bolt-action rifle, a Savage Mark II .22-caliber rifle, a black BB gun and a starter pistol. In addition, investigators found several large-capacity magazines, along with a huge array of ammunition: at least 126 shotgun shells and 1,526 bullets, including 661 .22-caliber bullets, 178 .45-caliber bullets and 161 9mm bullets. There were also nine knives, three Samurai swords, a pole outfitted with a spear and blade and a bayonet.

Many of those items were found in an open gun safe, but the documents do not indicate whether they were found in the safe in Adam Lanza's bedroom, or if there was a second one elsewhere in the house.

In any case, Adam Lanza clearly had a wide array of weapons to choose from to carry out the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

He started with his mother, shooting her in the forehead with a .22 caliber rifle. Then he took four guns to the scene: a .223 caliber Bushmaster rifle, which he used to shoot the students and school workers; a Glock 10mm handgun, which he used on himself; a loaded 9 mm Sig-Sauer handgun found on his body; and a 12-gauge Izhmash Canta shotgun, which he left behind in his mother's Honda Civic outside the school. In the car there were two magazines containing 70 shotgun rounds.

All four of those guns were legally owned by Nancy Lanza, authorities have said.

The documents, which had been under court seal since the start of the investigation, cover five search warrants. The seal expired on Thursday. The judge overseeing the case granted prosecutors' request to redact certain details, including a witness’ name, a telephone number and a credit card number.

Along with the search warrant documents, Danbury State's Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III included a statement that added details to the rampage and its aftermath.

He stressed that the investigation has not ended, adding that he had determined that the release of the search warrant documents would not jeopardize the case. He also acknowledged that state lawmakers have been anxious to learn more of the attack to help them negotiate a wide-ranging gun control proposal.

The state Attorney General may release more information later this week. A final report on the investigation is expected in June.

"Our sympathies for this tragedy continues to go out to the victims' families, friends and the Newtown community," Sedensky said.

The first 911 call from the school reached authorities at 9:35 a.m., the documents say. When police arrived, they found Nancy Lanza's Civic parked in the fire lane in front of the school. Adam Lanza had shot his way into the entrance. The dead were found in two classrooms near the front door.

In one of the classrooms police found Adam Lanza's body, outfitted in military-style clothing. They recovered the Bushmaster—with 14 rounds in its magazine and one in its chamber—and two handguns, along with three fully loaded 30-round additional magazines for the Bushmaster. Nearby were six more 30-round magazines, three of which were spent, and three of which still had bullets inside. At the scene investigators collected 154 spent .223 shell casings.

Authorities headed to the Lanza home, about five miles away, and found Nancy Lanza in bed in a second-story bedroom with a gunshot wound to her forehead, and a rifle on the floor.

Besides the article about the Northern Illinois University shooting, in which Steven Kazmierczak killed five people and injured 21, the newly released Newtown documents do not add to prior reports that Adam Lanza had studied prior mass shootings.

The Hartford Courant has reported that investigators found news articles about Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian man who in July 2011 detonated bombs that killed eight people in downtown Oslo before going on a rampage at a summer retreat, shooting 69 people to death, most of them teenagers.

Connecticut Police Lt. Paul Vance has in the past dismissed reports that Lanza had felt himself in competition with other mass murderers as "mere speculation."

State police and local officials privately briefed victims' families at the Newtown Municipal Center Wednesday night on how to handle the release of the documents.

"I think it reopens...it causes them to revisit the pain they felt three months ago," said Newtown Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson. "It's really too bad when we go on this path of healing to have these things that come back to us and remind us and take us back to the events again. It's hard."

Several people in Newtown have been on the receiving end of robocalls from the National Rifle Association. The calls started last week and many people on the other end of line are furious.

The National Rifle Association is calling residents urging them to contact their state legislators and push back against proposals for stricter gun laws.

The calls are stirring controversy and outrage in Newtown. People there are calling them insensitive.

"I was just kind of more shocked. That type of call would come to Newtown three months from one of the most horrendous tragedies and to call the town of Newtown didn't seem like the right thing to do," said Newtown resident Tom Maurath.

Maurath said he received the calls last week and believes it crosses the line from a political issue to one of right and wrong.

Tom and his neighbors are most upset that they have received the calls during dinner time. A time when the whole family is home including children who might not know the details of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Dan O'Donnell lives in Sandy Hook and said he never though about the gun debate until his town became the center of it and now robocalls are bringing the discussion to his doorstep.

"I have no understanding why they would be calling my house. Three calls in one week asking us to protect our Second Amendment Rights when I'm not a member of their organization," he said.

Dan said he supports efforts to explore more gun control legislation. The robocalls asking him to reject proposals for any new laws go against what he believes in and he finds them disturbing.

"It's ridiculous and insensitive. I can't believe an organization would be so focused on the rights of gun owners with no consideration for the losses this town suffered."

NBC Connecticut reached out to the NRA for comment and has not heard back. Federal law allows nonprofits like the NRA to issue unsolicited robocalls.

"Nurturing. Healing. Love."

Scarlett Lewis noticed the chalk-written message on her kitchen chalkboard when returning home for the first time – days after her son Jesse was taken from her on December 14th.  “It was in 6-year-old handwriting. Right about where he’d be standing,” says Lewis from her Sandy Hook farmhouse.  “It’s phonetically spelled. It's very clear what it says. I was stunned.”

Lewis described her son as an “energetic, happy boy” whose personality could dominate a room. This type of message, however, was out of the ordinary for him but feels it was left for when she and her oldest son, J.T.  would need it most.

“He isn’t the type of boy who would write that. He was loving and sweet and kind but that was a prophetic statement. I felt like it came from his spirit.”

It was this same message that the single mom sent while eulogizing her son.  “I said ‘I have something for you to do for us. That’s to consciously change an angry thought into a loving one’ because it is a choice.”

It’s now the mission of the newly formed Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation. Scarlet hopes it grows from the chalkboard to the pulpit to – one day – your child’s classroom. She is meeting with professional educators to create a school curriculum that will be taught nationwide.

“This will be taught right along Math, Reading and Writing. It will be a life management course.”
Lewis was the first family member to speak at Wednesday’s Legislative Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety hearing held in Newtown. She says she is not looking to get involved in the political debate that has followed the shootings. Rather,  she will focus on a message that can be supported on all sides of the discussion.

“I feel like he wrote that message for a reason and handed me a torch. I’m gonna take it and hopefully – with everyone's help – change the world so this will never happen again.”

The Newtown Board of Education wants more armed police officers in the Connecticut town's four elementary schools after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Last night, they decided to ask the town to approve the request to include one additional full-time Newtown police at each of the elementary schools in next year's budget.

Members of the board will meet today with state and federal officials about obtaining additional funding for security.

“Our parents are demanding of us that things are made safe and secure and certain measures are put in place,” Chairwoman Debbie Leidlein said. “So we’re being very thoughtful.”

Several police officers have been stationed at all Newtown schools since the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 children and six staff members were killed.

Those officers will remain at the school through the remainder of the school year, but the budget for the next fiscal year funds only resource officers at middle and high schools.

Parents said security means more than a police presence. 

“My main concern is with accessibility to these school, said Neil Johnson, a parent of two Newtown students. “On December 14th, that was the main bare-boned reason that occurred.”

“After what happened in our community, I just think we should go over and above and provide a shining example for the rest of the world and protect our kids,” said resident Donna Lorenz.

The chorus from Sandy Hook Elementary School will sing "America the Beautiful" before Sunday's Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, The Associated Press reported.

The chorus features 26 children from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., where 20 first-graders and six adults were killed in a shooting rampage last month.

The performance will be part of CBS's pre-game show and will be broadcast live.

For full U.S. news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

A few weeks ago, the chorus joined Grammy-nominated singer Ingrid Michaelson to record "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for the one-month anniversary of the shooting.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, the children of the choir and Michaelson recorded the song in the home studio of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club, who are longtime Connecticut residents.

You can download the track here. Proceeds will go to benefit the Newtown Youth Academy and the United Way of Western Connecticut.
 

In the wake of the tragic shootings last month in Newtown, Conn., the owners of an Algonquin video arcade have removed from their shop what they feel are violent games.
 
Kevin Slota, co-owner of No Limit Arcade, unplugged 12 first-person shooter games after hearing that they could be to blame for the Sandy Hook tragedy. Slota chose games that involved the shooting of people or zombies, which he says look human, and will replace them with "all-ages" options.

The games include “Revolution X,” “Maximum Force,” “Gunblade” and “The House of the Dead.”

"We did choose the proper games to pull off of the floor. Anything that involved directly shooting a human we decided it's time for those to go," said Mark Battaglia, Slota's partner in the business.

"Mortal Kombat" stayed because the game uses martial arts instead of guns. Games in which aliens or animals were the targets also made the cut.

On the arcade's Facebook page, Slota called the move "declaring war on violent video games."

"Do these games really have an influence on the people. To be honest with you, I'm not sure," said Battaglia.

But the shop's actions indicate they're not taking any chances.

The general manager of Odyssey Fun World in Naperville told the Daily Herald he doesn't plan on removing similar games from his arcade.

A Connecticut state representative is apologizing for a Facebook post warning Gabby Giffords to stay away, ahead of the former Arizona congresswoman's visit with Sandy Hook Elementary victims' families last week in Newtown.

"Gabby Giffords stay out of my towns," the post on the Facebook page for State Rep. DebraLee Hovey, a Republican who represents Newtown and Monroe, said last week.
 
Former U.S. Rep. Giffords survived a shooting in Tuscon, Ariz., in 2011 that killed six people, including a judge and a young girl. She and her husband have been advocates for stricter gun laws.

NBC Connecticut tried to reach Hovey about the comment, but she was unavailable. In the days after, there were several blogs and opinion pieces criticizing Hovey.

On Monday, she issued an apology for the comments she posted online.

"The remarks I made regarding Congresswoman Giffords' visit were insensitive and if I offended anyone I truly apologize," Rep. Hovey said in a statement.

"My comments were meant to be protective of the privacy of the families and our community as we work to move on, and were in no way intended as an insult to Congresswoman Giffords personally. Our community has struggled greatly through this tragedy, and we are all very sensitive to the potential for this event to be exploited for political purposes. This is what I wish to avoid," she added.

Hovey was in Florida last week to attend a board meeting of the Women in Government national organization when Giffords visited.

"The events of Dec. 14 affected all of us deeply and like many others I am still working through my grief and trying to come to terms with what happened, how we as a community and a state move forward and how we can prevent horrific events like this from occurring in the future," Hovey said.

"My deepest condolences continue to go out to the families, the community of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown and Connecticut," she continued.

Hovey’s office said she has been a strong advocate for her district and has called for a dialogue on mental health issues, improving school safety and gun control.
 

Therapy dogs from the Chicago area were on hand as students in Newtown, CT headed back to school nearly three weeks after a violent shooting rampage.

The team of golden retrievers provided unconditional love and support throughout the day. Parents, students, teachers and family members took advantage of the dogs' unique ability to heal.

"They're furry counselors. And they give unconditional love and so they're safe for people to talk to. They pet. They hug. They kiss, and then they start talking to the dog," said handler Tim Hentzner.

When the dogs from the Addison-based organization aren't helping those affected by a national tragedy, they're often kept busy visiting people in hospitals and nursing homes.




 

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived after being shot at a campaign event in her home state of Arizona two years ago, visited Newtown Friday.

Sue Marcinek, an assistant to Newtown's first selectman, told The Associated Press that Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, met with the selectman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

Giffords was also set to visit a home in Newtown for a private event, according to a spokesperson from  Wyman’s office. The event is not open to the public.

Giffords was shot in the head when a gunman opened fire at a campaign event she was holding in a Tuscon, Ariz., shopping plaza in January 2011. She survived, but six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl. The gunman, Jared Loughner, was sentenced to life in prison in November.

The visit in Newtown comes just two days after Giffords met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, met with Bloomberg Wednesday to discuss gun control, according to the New York Post. 

Bloomberg has pushed for stricter gun laws in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Classes resumed on Thursday for the students of Sandy Hook Elementary School for the first time since last month's massacre in Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators.

With their original school still being treated as a crime scene, the more than 400 students are attending classes at a refurbished school in the neighboring town of Monroe.

Attendance on Thursday was good, officials said. There were no issues at school and students were excited to see their friends and get back to school. 

“A lot of them were happy to see their friends they had not seen in a while. They were excited about the new school,”   Monroe Police Lt. Keith White said. “They were all brought together as a class for the first time since the tragedy and teachers got to meet with the students.” 

To help ease the return, therapy dogs were brought in and several students spent a little time with them, White said. Counselors were also available.

Gov. Dannel Malloy called the effort to return to school "Herculean."

"It is the stuff that Connecticut is made of," Malloy said.

Law enforcement officers have been guarding the new school, and by the reckoning of police, it is "the safest school in America."

The school district said parents who want to be close to their children were welcome to visit and stay in classrooms or an auditorium throughout the day and some parents took the opportunity. The lecture hall was full and parents had the opportunity to meet with school board members, White said.

Parents were encouraged to have their children take the bus to help them return to familiar routines.

Still, Newtown Superintendent Janet Robinson said officials will do their best to make the students feel at ease.

"We will go to our regular schedule," she said. "We will be doing a normal day."

Returning students, teachers and administrators were met by a large police presence on a sunny and cold day with temperatures hovering near 10 degrees. Several police officers were guarding the entrance to the school, and were checking IDs of parents dropping off children.

When police were asked how long a large police presence would remain at the school, White said the decision would be evaluated on a week to week basis.

“We’re going to focus on the school. Again, the students’ safety is of utmost importance to both towns,” White said.  

“We don’t want them to think this is a police state. We want them to know that this is a school, and a school first, and that’s a place where some to learn, enjoy their friends and grow up,” White said in response to another question.

On Wednesday, the students and their families were welcomed at an open house at their new school, which was formerly the Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe but renamed as the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The new building was decorated like a winter wonderland, filled with snowflakes people from around the world sent to the Connecticut PTSA to help make the students feel welcome. Students received gift boxes with toys inside and shared joyful reunions with teachers.

"Right now, Chalk Hill has been transformed from a middle school to a very cheerful, nurturing elementary school," Robinson said.

Former principal Donna Page is leading the school, and Robinson called this a "godsend" to help the transition process.

One father, Vinny Alvarez, took a moment to thank his third-grade daughter's teacher, Courtney Martin, who protected the class from a rampaging gunman by locking her classroom door and keeping the children in a corner.

"Everybody there thanked her in their own way," he said.

The gunman, Adam Lanza, also killed his mother at the home they shared in Newtown before driving to the school and gunning down 26 people, including the school's principal. Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived. Police haven't released any details about a motive.

Numerous police officers on Wednesday guarded the outside of the Monroe school, which is about 7 miles from the old school, and told reporters to stay away.

"I think right now it has to be the safest school in America," Lt. White said.

Teachers attended staff meetings at the new school on Wednesday morning and were visited by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy before the open house, White said.

The FBI has arrested a New York City woman suspected of lying about her connection to a victim of the Newtown school shooting earlier this month to collect donations from charitable citizens looking for a way to contribute in the wake of the massacre.

The FBI arrested Nouel Alba, 37, of the Bronx, on Thursday. 

Last week, NBC’s Jeff Rossen reported that Alba posted a solicitation on Facebook within hours of the shooting, identifying herself as an aunt of Noah Pozner, one of the 20 children shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Dec. 14.

Later, as families were grieving and the nation was looking for any and every way to help the victims’ families, she asked for funds to pay for the funeral, Rossen reported. 

At Alba's instruction on the Facebook page owned by "Victorian Glam Fairys," donors sent money to a PayPal account that Alba controlled and accessed, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In one text to a donor, Alba wrote about being in Newtown when President Barack Obama was in town to meet with the families and of how he hugged and cried with the families, according to the complaint.

The donor asked Alba if she was watching the president's speech in person.

According to the complaint, she responded: "No im sitting in my car. Emotionally I cant (sic) deal.with it right now ..tomorrow ill see (redacted) in a casket and that will be hard enough to handle."

She also claimed in a phone conversation to the same donor that she had entered the crime scene to identify her nephew's body after the shooting, according to the complaint. Family members and next of kin, however, were barred from entering the crime scene at Sandy Hook.

READ THE FULL COMPLAINT HERE.

When FBI Special Agents investigating fundraising and charity scams related to the Newtown tragedy contacted her, Alba lied, stating that she did not post information related to Newtown on her Facebook account, solicit donations or recently access her PayPal account, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Alexis Haller, the uncle of Noah Pozner, said Alba is not related to the family and never gave the family any of the funds raised.

When NBC News' Rossen went to Alba’s house to question her about the solicitation of funds, she denied posting the message or to posing as a member of Noah’s family.

She claimed someone else created the post and that she refunded the money, according to Rossen’s report.

However, the U.S. Attorney's Office stated that the claimed she immediately refunded any donations that she received was false.

“This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone who attempts to profit from this tragedy by contriving fraudulent schemes that exploit the many victims, their families and individuals who sincerely want to help,” stated U.S. Attorney David Fein.  “Investigators continue to monitor the Internet to uncover other fundraising scams arising from this tragedy, and the individuals operating them face federal or state prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law.”

Alba was charged with lying to FBI agents. She was released on a $50,000 bond . She hid her face as she left court on Thursday and said nothing to reporters.

Attorney General George Jepsen is advising people to be careful and avoid phone and e-mail solicitations, as well as those posted on Facebook.

On Dec. 19, and state Department of Consumer Protection  Commissioner William Rubenstein issued a warning for residents to beware of potential scams and urging only to donate to well-known, established charities.  

“This is a time of mourning for the people of Newtown and for our entire state,” Jepsen said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it’s also a time when bad actors may seek to exploit those coping with this tragedy. We are very thankful for all of the offers to help and urge those looking for ways to help to take some simple precautions to ensure that their donations will find their way to those in need.”

Jepsen and Rubenstein warned that social media sites could perpetuate scams and residents should not blindly donate to through them.

“As with any charity, investigate the groups behind such pleas to ensure that they come from a legitimate organization,” they warn.

Individuals with knowledge of Newtown-related fundraising schemes are encouraged to call the FBI in Connecticut at 203-777-6311.

Fein said potential federal charges associated with fraudulent fundraising and charity schemes include wire fraud, access device fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property.
 

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A week after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has proclaimed Friday a "day of mourning."

In a proclamation for the day, Quinn called on Illinois residents to honor the 26 victims, including 20 children, with an 8:30 a.m. moment of silence and to "join neighbors near and far in ringing bells twenty-six times in honor of each life lost."

The show of support aligned with a moment of silence across the country and the Internet to mark the one-week anniversary of the shootings as Newtown lays to rest five more of its fallen including three children.

"The people of Illinois send their condolences to the people of Connecticut and grieve the unconscionable losses suffered by the families and loved ones of the fallen," Quinn wrote in the proclamation.

The governor said the state remains committed to "promoting the values of peace, faith, and community, with the hope of ending all acts of violence."
 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the NRA's desire to have an armed officer in every American school is "outrageous and unsettling."

"That is not the right answer for our society, our schools and most importantly our children," he said in a statement issued Friday.

The mayor said the answer to America's gun violence is a reduction in the number of arms in society, not adding more guns to schools.

"People across this country, from small towns to big cities, are united and ready to pass common-sense gun control legislation. The time has come for the NRA to get on board or get out of the way," said Emanuel.

Earlier in the day, the country's largest gun-rights lobby called for an armed guard in every school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings."

Emanuel on Thursday gathered 22 area mayors and echoed his call for a ban on semi-automatic weapons, for a restriction on the size of bullet clips and for more complete background checks on gun purchases.

"In order to protect our children, our families and our communities, we need commonsense gun-control legislation," he said. "I urge other city leaders from throughout our state and the country to join our cause."

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) on Friday called the comments of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre "a joke, thoughtless, meaningless, an afront, not just to the victims of Connecticut but for every crisis we've faced."

Gov. Pat Quinn proclaimed Friday a day of mourning for Illinois in a show of support aligned with a moment of silence across the country to honor those lost in the Connecticut school shooting a week ago.

A week after a shooting rampage in a Newtown elementary school left 27 people dead -- including 20 first graders and six teachers -- First Lady Michelle Obama penned an open letter to the residents of Newtown, which ran in the Hartford Courant under the title 'Holding You In Our Hearts.'

In the letter, Obama said she was inspired by the heroism of first responders, teachers and children in the school, and proud of the support the entire nation has shown over the past week. And she promised that President Obama will 'use the powers of his office' to find ways to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Here is the full letter:

6:41 p.m. EST, December 20, 2012

Over the past week, we as Americans have been united in our grief as Newtown has laid to rest so many beautiful, innocent children, along with the heroic educators who worked every day to help them achieve their dreams.

As a mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families. Like so many Americans, I wish there were something - anything - I could do or say to ease your anguish.

But I know that I cannot begin to imagine the depths of your grief. I know that for many of you, the pain you are enduring right now seems unbearable; and many of you may be asking yourselves, how can we go on - as families and as a community?

Over the past week, I have been awed and inspired by Newtown's heroes: the first responders who risked their lives at a moment's notice; the educators whose devotion to their students shone brightest in one of our nation's darkest hours; the children who comforted each other despite their fear; the families coming together to support each other as they grieve.

And I am so proud of the outpouring of love and support that has come from every corner of America: from first responders from neighboring cities rushing to help however they could; from people in Cleveland and Charlotte and Juneau and so many other communities joining together to honor Newtown with their thoughts and prayers; and in living rooms and houses of worship and the halls of our government, where we are beginning to have those difficult conversations about how we can build a safer, more peaceful tomorrow for all our children.

And I want you to know that this is just the beginning. As my husband has said, in the coming weeks, he will use all the powers of his office to engage citizens from across this country to find ways to prevent tragedies like this one. And please know that every minute of every day, we are thinking of you, and praying for you, and holding you and your families in our hearts as you begin the slow and wrenching work of healing and moving forward.

In the months and years ahead, may the memories of those beautiful children and those heroic adults be a blessing for their families, for your community, and for our country, and may God bless you all.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Washington DC

Church bells across the country rang 26 times Friday morning—one for each of the victims killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School —to mark the one-week anniversary of the Connecticut shootings.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy observed a moment of silence with other offiicials on the steps of Newtown's town hall where a bell chimed for each victim and names were read. Five more shooting victims, including three children, were to be buried later in the day.

Thousands of congregations affiliated with the National Council of Churches participated in a minute of silence as their bells rang out. A group of interfaith leaders meeting in Washington to discuss gun control and mental health reforms paused as well, as the National Cathedral's funeral bell tolled.

Malloy requested participation in the bell-ringing earlier this week from all houses of worship and buildings equipped to carry out the symbolic gesture. He also requested Monday a statewide moment of silence at 9:30 a.m. ET, “exactly one week after the horror began to unfold.”

Governors from Louisiana to Hawaii to Illinois joined Malloy’s call for a moment to remember the 20 schoolchildren and six faculty members killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

The federal government participated as well, with President Obama privately observing the solemn 9:30 a.m. occasion at the White House. In the immediate aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, Obama vowed "meaningful action" and announced Vice President Joe Biden would lead a group to come up with "concrete proposals" to reduce gun violence by the end of January. Obama said in a web video Friday he was encouraged by a “We the People” petition posted on the White House website calling for more gun control. "We hear you," he told signers of the petition, which has amassed 200,000 supporters.

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The National Rifle Association, which had been largely silent since the tragedy, held its first press conference Friday. The group called for an armed police officer to be stationed at every school in the country and also blamed video games, movies and media companies for a contributing to a culture of violence.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.

For full U.S. news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, meanwhile, marked Friday's moment of silence at an elementary school in Washington D.C., where he was scheduled to speak at a school safety forum. His visit to Neval Thomas Elementary School was his first public appearance since the shooting last week.

A group from the technology world planned an Internet-based moment of silence. By Thursday evening, more than 150,000 people had signed a pledge to participate in a “five minute pause from all online activity” organized by Nick Grossman, an activist at Union Square Ventures, and the team at the activist site, Causes.com.

A companion website, webmomentofsilence.org, offered instructions on temporarily blacking out websites to “help bring focus to the events at Sandy Hook and the broader issue of gun violence in America.”

The website said that participation did not represent any political agenda and that organizers were hoping to remember the victims and “spark an ongoing productive conversation.”

Huffington Post, ESPN, Foursquare, TechCrunch, AOL, Gilt and Adobe were among the sites that participated in the online moment of silence, according to Ad Week.

Remembering the Sandy Hook Victims: Portraits of the Fallen.

Stockbridge First United Methodist Church in Georgia rang its bells 27 times to include Nancy Lanza, the mother of gunman Adam Lanza who fatally shot her before ambushing Sandy Hook Elementary School and taking his own life.

“I think for us, she’s a victim, too,” said Rev. Jody Ray, NBC News reported. “We probably should have included the young man who committed the crime."

Back in Newtown, funerals continued for a fifth consecutive day. Three more children and two school staffers were being buried. They include: 6-year-old Olivia Engel; 6-year-old Dylan Hockley; 7-year-old Grace McDonnell; behavioral therapist Rachel D'Avino, 29; and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56.

As the sad routines continued in Newtown, First Lady Michelle Obama offered recommendations to parents wondering how to discuss the tragedy with their children.

"We can tell our kids that we're doing everything we can to keep them safe and make sure they fee loved—and so are their teachers, coaches, faith leaders, Scout leaders and everyone else who plays a role in their lives.

"We can tell them that it's our job now to stand with the people of Newtown—to pray for them and to find ways, large and small, to show them that they are not alone in their grief. It is now up to us to carry the memory of those who were lost in our hearts and to follow their example every day, living our lives as they lived theirs—with courage, determination, hope and love.

"Those are the values that give us our strength as Americans and that we return to in times of crisis—not just because they help us heal, but because they define who we are, as a people and as a nation."

A private funeral was held Thursday for the mother of the gunman who killed 20 first-graders and six adults at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school, a New Hampshire police source told NBC News.

About two dozen family members attended the New Hampshire service for Nancy Lanza, who was shot and killed by her son before he went on the school rampage.

For full U.S. news coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

Friends of Nancy Lanza have told NBC 4 New York that she described her son as a very bright, intelligent person, and had mentioned that he had Asperger's, a mild form of autism.

"I just know she spoke very lovingly of him," John Bergquist, who had known Nancy Lanza for about two years, told NBC 4 New York earlier this week.

When Nancy Lanza and then-husband Peter Lanza moved to the central Connecticut community in 1998 from southern New Hampshire, they bought a new 3,100-square-foot colonial set on more than two acres in the Bennett's Farm neighborhood.

Nancy Lanza had previously worked as a stock broker at John Hancock in Boston and her husband was a successful executive.

Remembering the Sany Hook Victims: Portraits of the Fallen.

When the couple divorced in 2009, he left their home to Nancy Lanza and told her she would never have to work another day in her life, said Marsha Lanza of Crystal Lake, Ill., Lanza's aunt. The split-up was not acrimonious and Adam spent time with both his mother and father, she said.

Those who knew Nancy Lanza recall her as very generous, often giving money to those she met and doing volunteer work.

On Friday, December 14, 2012, our beautiful daughter, Josephine Grace Gay, was killed in an unimaginable tragedy at her elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Joey, many of her friends, teachers, and school staff members were taken from our loving community. Joey turned 7 three days prior to this tragedy and was looking forward to celebrating at her birthday party with many of these friends the next day.

Although our family is devastated, we are deeply comforted in the knowledge that she is no longer scared or hurting and rests in the arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is through His sufficient grace that we are able to get through this. Our innocent, trusting little girl stared into the face of unimaginable evil and overcame it in Christ. She was not alone in her courage.

Our small, close-knit community acted instantly. First responders from our town and those surrounding quickly removed surviving children and staff members from the scene. Connecticut state troopers have tended to our families around the clock, surrounding us with protection and compassion. Neighbors, religious communities, townspeople, and professionals are providing the care and love that we are so in need of now. We see this movement grow daily with acts of love and kindness pouring in from around the country and the world. We see how evil is defeated.

Since Joey's passing, we have received many media requests for our story and for pictures of our daughter. Although we are protecting our family’s privacy during this time of healing, we believe it is important to share some of Joey's story. It will help us if others know what a special person she was and how she inspired everyone she met.Joey was autistic and severely apraxic. She could not

speak, yet she touched the lives of so many around her: teachers, therapists, friends, neighbors, all loved and cherished her. Joey was social and affectionate; she smiled, she loved hugs, and she even had a wonderful sense of humor. Her spirit was indomitable. She participated in rigorous therapy and treatment on a daily basis without complaint. She loved to play with her Barbie dolls, iPad, and computer, swim, swing, and be anywhere her sisters were.

Josephine loved the color purple. Born in Maryland, she grew up in a family of Ravens fans and developed an affinity for all things purple. She rarely left the house without wearing something purple. After her passing, many friends who visited wore purple clothing to honor her. On Saturday a family friend tied purple balloons on the mailboxes on our street, and on Sunday the neighborhood children and her sisters and cousins released purple balloons with written messages of love to her in heaven.

We will not let this tragedy define her life. Instead, we will honor her inspiring and generous spirit. We have established Joey’s Fund in her name through the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism. The proceeds of this fund will help families raising autistic children. It’s our way of dealing with this pain and never letting go of her love.

Many people have reached out to us asking to provide help or support. We ask that, if you are able, please contribute to Joey's Fund, and if you are so inclined, please wear purple on Saturday.

Bob and Michele Gay

How to donate:
Online: Doug Flutie Foundation

On the donation page please select “in Memory of” and type “Joey’s Fund” in the box for “acknowledgement/address and comments,”

By Mail:
Send checks to:
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism
Specify “In Memory of Josephine Gay” on the check.
Mailing address:
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism
PO Box 767
Framingham, MA 01701

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe released a statement for the first time since Friday's tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Chief Michael Kehoe and his officers have been working to process the crime scenes nearly around the clock. In the statement, Kehoe praises the teachers who gave their lives trying to save their students.

"They became first responders to unimaginable chaos and violence. Their actions under fire to protect the children inspire us all," Kehoe said. "Equally inspiring was the courage of our children in helping their classmates."

Kehoe also praised his officers, as well as firefighters and emergency medical personnel who responded to the school in the moments after the shooting began.

In a town trying to find a way to return to normal, Kehoe tried to put parents' minds at ease.

"I would like to reassure the people of Newtown that our schools are safe. The staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School had taken all reasonable precautions to provide a safe learning environment to the faculty and students of the school. Those precautions clearly saved lives."

The following is Chief Kehoe's statement in its entirety:

The Newtown Police Department wishes to express its deepest sympathies to the families of those lost in the senseless tragedy that visited Sandy Hook Elementary School and to the entire Town of Newtown on Friday, December 14, 2012.

First, let me offer my praise to our teachers and school staff They became first responders to unimaginable chaos and violence. Their actions under fire to protect the children inspire us all. Equally inspiring was the courage of our children in helping their classmates. Our police, fire, and emergency medical personnel reacted quickly and without hesitation, rapidly responding to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Their professionalism was heartwarming to witness; our community is proud of them.

I appreciate the many area police departments and the Connecticut State Police, who have provide immediate assistance in our time of need. The unconditional support of the law enforcement community as we investigate and recover has been overwhelming.

Processing multiple crime scenes in Newtown, conducting countless interviews, and analyzing all of the evidence is very daunting and time-consuming task. Newtown Police Officers are working with state and federal authorities to thoroughly and professionally analyze all aspects of this crime as we seek answers.

I would like to reassure the people of Newtown that our schools are safe. The staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School had taken all reasonable precautions to provide a safe learning environment to the faculty and students ofthe school. Those precautions clearly saved lives.

I thank the community for its support ofthe Newtown Police Department. We much appreciate the outpouring of food, gifts and expressions of support to our agency.

The Newtown Police Department will work with our community partners to restore a sense of security and normalcy to Newtown. Our law enforcement professionals are committed to helping the community through this difficult period. It is my honor to be associated with such fine people.

The never-ending and seldom-evolving debate over gun control has arguably reached its moment of truth: If the massacre of 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., doesn’t prompt America to clamp down on firearms, then perhaps nothing will.

Other recent mass shootings – and there have been many before Newtown – have had little discernible effect on the public’s appetite for tougher gun laws. In Washington, the issue has been treated like a political third rail.

But the murders of first-graders seem to have shaken something loose. Pro-gun politicians, including some Republicans, say they’re now at least willing to discuss gun control. President Barack Obama, who during his first term was noncommittal on gun control and in two instances chose to expand gun rights, first called on lawmakers to “take meaningful action to prevent tragedies like this.” He then set a January deadline for a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to produce a set of "concrete proposals" to curb gun violence and vowed to push legislation "without delay."

The question -- similar to the negotiations over the fiscal cliff – is if a sharply divided Congress can agree on a bill.

“The opportunity right now is like nothing we’ve ever had before,” said John Hudak, a public policy expert at the Brookings Institution. “Whether the right groups and forces in Congress capitalize on that opportunity is another story.”

The fact that there’s even the potential to pass some kind of gun control legislation is a big deal.

The subject of reform comes up every time there’s a spasm of gun violence: shootings at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a movie theater in Colorado this year, the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona last year, 2009 rampages in Ft. Hood, Texas, Binghamton, N.Y., and Alabama.

No piece of legislation came close to a vote.

Even after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida last spring, an incident that sparked debate over so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws, reform advocates could not muster any movement.

Gun-control advocates blame the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, which has effectively framed the debate as a battle for the constitutional right to bear arms. Supporters of those rights – hunters, marksmen, people who carry guns for protection – say the vast majority of guns are owned by law-abiding citizens, and limiting gun sales would only help criminals. In recent years, the public has largely sided with the gun-rights camp.

The last time a mass shooting sparked new firearms regulation was in 2007, after the killing of 32 people by a mentally disturbed student at Virginia Tech. That attack led to a law that helps states identify potential gun buyers with mental-health problems. The measure was politically viable in part because it did not include an outright ban on any particular weapon.

The last significant gun prohibition was the assault-weapons ban of 1994, passed in response to a string of mass shootings, including a 1989 schoolyard massacre in Stockton, Calif. The law prohibited the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic weapons with magazines capable of holding 10 rounds or more. The law listed several makes and models that were off-limits, including the popular AR-15 rifle, a version of which was used by Newtown shooter Adam Lanza.

The 1999 killing of 12 students at Columbine High School in Colorado occurred during the ban; one assault-style rifle the shooters used was bought by exploiting a loophole that allowed sales at gun shows.

The ban expired in 2004, and, in a reflection of how opinion had shifted, Congress chose not to renew it.

Seven states, including Connecticut, where the Newtown shooting took place, have imposed their own assault weapons bans.

The rifle Lanza wielded, a .223-caliber Bushmaster, along with the handgun with which he killed himself, were all legally owned by his mother. Lanza is presumed to have shot her to death before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on the morning of Dec. 14.

Now, in wake of that attack, Democrats are again urging a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. And for the first time in 20 years, they might actually do it.

The reason, Hudak said, is that the NRA really has no way to respond. After prior mass shootings, the group has argued that allowing more people – college students, high school teachers, school guards -- to carry guns would prevent such attacks. Besides, the vast majority of murder weapons are handguns, not assault weapons.

But this time, there is no such alternative, other than putting guns in elementary schools.

“There’s no discussion to win here,” Hudak said. “There’s nothing to turn the tide against the pure disgust and frustration at what’s happened.”

It remains to be seen if the shift in Washington since Friday is mirrored among the general public.

Crime policy analysts say gun-control advocates risk losing their window of opportunity if they push a bill that asks too much.

Philip Cook, a Duke University professor who has spent decades researching gun violence and crime policy, said the smart move by the gun-control advocates would be to seek a middle-ground proposal that reinstates the ban on large magazines and doesn’t touch the issue of particular guns or other military-style accessories.

Most but not all gun owners would back such an approach, he predicted.

“If you want legislation that doesn’t impair legitimate uses but has the potential for reducing the body count, limiting the size of magazines is the way to go,” Cook said. “I think it’s realistic and plausible. And I think it has the great advantage of having a logical connection of some larger purpose.”

A more innocuous proposal, if all else fails, would be to increase funding for states’ systems that allow them to cross reference criminal records with mental health records to weed out people who shouldn’t buy guns, Cook said. There’d be little resistance to that, he said.

Hudak agreed. From the perspective of gun-control advocates, anything they can accomplish should be considered a victory. He pointed to New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who suggested such an approach this week.

“That’s the obstacle: to craft legislation in a narrow way that even gun rights people can get behind but also that people can understand,” Hudak said.

Grant Duwe, a criminologist who co-wrote a book about mass shootings, agreed that it’s entirely possible for Congress to pass some kind of post-Newtown gun control legislation. But he questioned whether it would have any real impact on the frequency of mass shootings.

His own research shows that gun control laws have little deterrent effect. He thinks the debate needs to shift to mental health care: More than half of the perpetrators of mass shootings in his study had some kind of mental illness, and a third sought help before their crimes.

“The point that I would make is that from empirical evidence, any gun law that might pass would have mainly symbolic impacts," Duwe said. "Whether it has any substantive impact in reducing mass shootings is very debatable.”

America's struggle over gun violence and the right to bear arms has been raging for decades. Here's a look at key events in the United States' long, tortured relationship with crime and guns:

• 1791: The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. It read, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

• 1911: New York State passed the Sullivan Act, one of the first pieces of gun control. It required a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and remains law.

• 1934: The National Firearms Act, passed in response to a string of crimes using automatic weapons, levied a tax on the manufacture and sale of firearms, including machine guns, shotguns and certain rifles. It is still in effect.

• 1938: The Federal Firearms Act was passed, requiring gun dealers to obtain a license and maintain records on all their sales. It also made it illegal to sell a gun to a convicted criminal.

• 1963: President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Crime rates began a steep climb.

• 1965: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated.

• 1968: President Lyndon Johnson signed the Gun Control Act, which placed more stringent regulations on gun sales, including a ban on selling rifles and shotguns by mail.

• 1972: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms was created.

• 1975: The violent crime rate peaked. The National Rifle Association creates a lobbying group. That same year, it successfully fought an effort by Sen. Edward Kennedy to have ammunition regulated as a “hazardous substance.”

• 1980: Violence rates peaked again.

• 1981: President Ronald Reagan was shot and his press aide James Brady seriously wounded.

• 1984: A gunman armed with an Uzi submachine gun killed 21 people and wounded 19 at a McDonald’s in San Ysdiro, Calif. The crack era began.

• 1986: The Firearms Owners Protection Act passed, easing restrictions on in-person purchases of guns by people from out of state and limiting inspections of licensed dealers by the ATF.

• 1989: A gunman wielding an AK-47 rifle killed five children and injured 29 others on a schoolyard in Stockton, Calif.

• 1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a gun and required local law enforcement to conduct background checks on all potential buyers.

• 1994: Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, including the Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited, for 10 years, the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic weapons with magazines capable of holding 10 or more rounds.

• Congress banned the Centers for Disease Control from promoting gun control and effectively stopped it from funding research on gun violence.

• 1997: The Supreme Court found the Brady Bill’s local background checks unconstitutional.

• 1999: Two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., went on a rampage at their school, killing 12 classmates and one teacher.

• 2001/2002: John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo murdered 15 people in a series of sniper shootings in the Washington D.C. area.

• 2004: The Assault Weapons Ban expired and Congress chose not to renew it.

• 2005: Congress granted immunity to the firearms industry from civil suits in cases where a gun was used in a crime.

• 2007: Seung-Hui Cho, a Virginia Tech student with a history of mental problems, killed 32 people in two attacks on the school’s Blacksburg campus.

• 2007: In response to the Virginia Tech shooting, Congress passed the NCIS Improvement Amendments Act, authorizing $1.3 billion to improve states’ systems to find and track people trying to buy guns – a so-called “gun-buyer database.” It did not apply to sales at gun shows by unlicensed vendors.

• 2008: The Supreme Court invalidated Washington D.C.’s 32-year-old ban on handguns. The city responded with new laws that revived the ban while abiding to the strictures of the court’s ruling.

• 2009: Maj. Nidal M. Hasan allegedly went on a rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 soldiers and one civilian.

• 2009: Michael McLendon killed 10 people and himself in a shooting spree that spanned two southern Alabama towns.

• 2011: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was among several people shot at an event in Tuscon, Ariz. Six others were killed, including a judge and a young girl.

• 2011: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent undercover investigators to an Arizona gun show to show how easy it was to buy handguns from unlicensed vendors without background checks. Bills by several Democratic members of Congress attempt to ban high-capacity handguns, close the so-called gun-show loophole and prevent gun sales to people on terrorist watch lists. All the proposals were defeated.

• 2012: Florida teenager Trayvon Martin is shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer, who invoked the state’s 2005 “Stand Your Ground” law as a defense.

• 2012: James Holmes allegedly opened fire on a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people and wounding 58.

• 2012: White supremacist Wade Michael Page killed six people in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc.

• 2012: Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., before taking his own life. He was also believed to have killed his mother.

Sources: Facts on File News Services, Philip Cook, Washington Post, CNN

The tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary will stand as one of those before-and-after days in America -- things will never be the same at schools across Connecticut and beyond.

"This was like our 9/11 for school teachers," Richard Cantlupe, an American history teacher at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Fla., told the Associated Press.

Officials across the country are taking measures to make students and parents feel as safe as possible. From Los Angeles to Newtown, school districts heightened security this week -- placing police officers outside schools and reviewing security procedures.

“I think it’s important that at this particular time we’re able to get everybody [to] feel good about schools, that they can feel safe at schools," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, who said every K-8 school in the city would be visited by a police officer each day. "That’s my job and we’ll make sure that it happens.”

But some schools are also looking at long-term solutions to beef up security -- drastic changes that would revamp school security as we know it, much like airport security was revamped after 9/11.

Sandy Hook could make getting into a public school far more difficult.

Mike Dorn of Safe Havens International, a non-profit campus safety center, has been working in school safety for three decades. He sees controlling access as the chief way in which schools can ensure their students' safety.

Now he thinks administrators will be able to implement changes that would have been impossible a week ago.

"There are many school superintendents and principals who last week wanted to put better access control in their schools, that have been told they can't, because the community would be in an uproar," said Dorn, who thinks such initiatives will now encounter far less resistance,

Dorn is a proponent of a high-tech system called Security Alert for Education (SAFE). With this system, teachers wear a pendant that amplifies their voice during lectures -- but also has a panic button button that allows them to immediately alert 911 during an emergency. Cameras mounted in classrooms are integrated into the system, as well.

Scot Trower, superintendent of the Ryal School in Ryal, Okla., "out in the middle of nowhere,"  had the SAFE System installed in 2010. An encounter a decade ago with a man with a gun in his back pocket demanding to pick up a student played into Trower's decision to implement SAFE.

Just last week, there was an incident at Ryal that required him to put the school on lockdown.

"We didn't have to use (the SAFE System), but it sure made everybody feel a lot better that they had it," said Trower, who has begun the process of having better access control installed at his school. He's also scheduled a meeting for early January to review his school's emergency response system.

Better access control won't keep everyone out. In Newtown, the front door of Sandy Hook Elementary was locked, per school policy -- but shooter Adam Lanza forced his way into the school, according to officials.

For instances like that, Trower is also prepared to take a controversial step: Carrying a gun to school. Since the Sandy Hook massacre, lawmakers in several states have discussed legislation to allow teachers at staff members to carry concealed weapons, including Oklahoma.

"If that law passes, and my school board is in favor of it, and they adopt that policy… It's my first priority, to protect those children, and I'll do whatever I have to do," Trower said. "And if the law gives me the ability to do that, I will absolutely take advantage of that to protect my kids."

In Harrold, Texas, where the remote location makes teachers de facto first responders, they've been carrying guns since 2008.

"Many people can learn how to effectively and safely guard others with firearms," Harrold, Texas Superintendent David Thweatt told KNBC.

While Dorn clearly feels keeping schools secure is a priority, he also urges people to maintain some perspective. He points out that even in the wake of Sandy Hook, on average there are more school deaths from lightning strikes than mass murderers.

"It's important to note that we've reduced the numbers dramatically since the 1970s, so we've already seen a reduction," Dorn said. "I think we could cut the (school) homicide rate in half. There are a lot of children who have not died because of Columbine."

Similarly, Dorn believes that Sandy Hook will renew the country's commitment to school safety.

But whatever security solutions schools settle on, Dorn stressed that they must move forward with a clear head and proper training.

"We just hope schools move thoughtfully when they do this, because there's a lot of great equipment out there, but it has to be complimented by heightened staff awareness," said Dorn.

Though Trower is a proponent of carry/conceal, SAFE System and access control, he says the best way to prevent tragedies like Sandy Hook from happening is to talk to the kids. A report done by the Secret Service in response to the Columbine shooting revealed that a surprising number of shooters shared their plans with classmates.

"If our kids don’t feel comfortable communicating to the teachers and have those kinds of relationships ...  that's what can avert these kinds of things," said Trower.

"My basic philosophy of education is, if a kid doesn’t feel safe coming to school, or if a kid doesn’t like coming to school… they're not going to learn," Trower said. "Right now, across this country, there's a lot of school going on where kids are sitting in fear... We have to be proactive to keep these things from affecting us."

It's hard to find another state that has cut more from its mental health budget than Illinois.

The Land of Lincoln now ranks fourth in the nation when it comes to cutting mental health programs. From 2009 to 2012, state leaders cut roughly $187 million from state-sponsored programs, according to a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

That means parents, spouses and friends looking to help someone facing a crisis may not have many options.

And while last week's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school has many calling for stricter gun laws, forbidding the mentally ill from purchasing a gun may not be as easy as it sounds.

"You're talking 20 percent of the American population," said University of Illinois at Chicago professor Carl Bell.

Many of those responsible for the 61 mass murders in the United States through the last 30 years have had a history of mental illness. Yet in difficult financial times, state budgets have sliced away at mental health funding, including Illinois.

Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday said those decisions are difficult ones to make.

"With respect to our budget, we have to commit whatever we can to mental health investment and care for people who need that care," he said.

Dr. Bell noted that all of society plays a role in that investment.

"[It means] making sure that people with mental illness feel accepted in this society instead of shunned, avoided...," he said.

When Sandy Hook students return to class on Jan. 2, they will be greeted by a familiar face.

Donna Page, a former Sandy Hook principal who is now retired, will take over as principal, NBC Connecticut's Amanda Raus has learned.

Newtown and Monroe officials worked out a plan to allow students from Sandy Hook to use the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe.

The school was shut down a few years ago, but it being cleaned up and prepared for children and teachers to use it.

Gov. Dannel Malloy used an executive order waiving state statutes that now makes the students' move to Monroe easier.

Several scholarships have been set up in honor of the victim's of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

Ana Marquez-Greene Music Scholarship Fund

Western Connecticut State University has set up a scholarship in honor of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, 6-and-a-half.

"Ana’s love for singing was evident before she was even able to talk. In a musical family, her gift for melody, pitch and rhythm stood out remarkably. And she never walked anywhere – her mode of transportation was dance. She danced from room to room and place to place. She danced to all the music she heard, whether in the air or in her head. Ana loved her God, loved to read the Bible and loved to sing and dance as acts of worship," the Marquez-Greene family said in a statement.

Sandy Hook School Memorial Fund at the University of Connecticut

UConn has created a memorial scholarship fund to help the students of Sandy Hook Elementary School who survived Friday's tragedy. The Sandy Hook School Memorial Fund at the University of Connecticut will provide financial aid for any students who currently go to the school, as well as siblings of those killed and dependents of teachers and the other adults who lost their lives protecting those students. The scholarships will be available to those who are accepted to UConn when the time comes for them to apply.

Victoria Leigh Soto Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund

Victoria Leigh Soto went to Eastern Connecticut State University and the university has created the Victoria Leigh Soto Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund to support Eastern students studying to be teachers who have unmet financial need. 

My Sandy Hook Family Fund Web

The parents of children who survived the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown are the friends and neighbors of families going through immense grief and they have set up a fund to help remove some of the burden.

Emilie Parker Fund

The Emilie Parker Memorial Fund has been set up at America First Credit Union in Utah, the Parkers’ native state. The funds will go to support Emilie's parents in taking time off work to be with family, any medical expenses, and in flying to Utah to arrange and plan a funeral. For the other Sandy Hook Elementary families affected, the funds will go to help them in any way they want.

Stories of beauty and selflessness in the face of horror continue to trickle out in the wake of last week's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. The latest is the story of Anne Marie Murphy, an aide assigned to work with the special needs students in Victoria Soto's class.

One of those students was Dylan Hockley, who had moved to Newtown, Conn. just two years ago from England.

He was learning to read, his parents said. He loved bouncing on his trampoline, he loved seeing the moon. He loved chocolate and computer games and adored his big brother Jake.

"Dylan had dimples and blue eyes," his grandmother Theresa Moretti told The Boston Herald. "He had the most mischievous little grin."

The 6 year old died in the attack on his elementary school.

The story of the massacre has been told. There were morning announcements. The gunman came in. There was screaming and gunshots. Twenty-six people were fatally shot.

Dylan and his aide were among the least fortunate, but they died together, Murphy cradling her student in her arms, according to a statement released by Hockley's family.

"We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died, but was wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide, Anne Marie Murphy," his family wrote in a statement. "Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every day."

Murphy, 52, was a mother herself. She had four children and was part of a big, warm family, her parents told Newsday.

"She was a happy soul," her mother Alice McGowen told the newspaper. "She was a very good daughter, a good mother, a good wife."

She was the sixth of seven children and her parents were planning on hosting a house full of children and grandchildren for Christmas Eve. They still will, though there will be one less guest.

"I've done my crying. Haven't we all?" McGowen told Newsday. "I'll miss her presence. She died doing what she loved. She was serving children and serving God."

Authorities told Murphy's father that she died shielding students from the bullets.

Dylan's teacher, Victoria Soto—a 27-year-old third-year teacher—also lost her life trying to stand between her first-graders and the attacker, her uncle said on ABC News.

The Hockley family said Soto "was warm and funny and Dylan loved her dearly," and added that they chose Sandy Hook specifically for its elementary school and that they have no regrets about their choice of location.

"Our boys have flourished here and our family's happiness has been limitless."

They credited the school's principal and psychologist with helping them navigate Dylan's special education needs.

Principal Dawn Hochsprung—whose Twitter account left a heartbreaking record of her devotion to her school, her community and its youngest students—also died in the attack. So did Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist, a mother and wife, nearly ready to retire.

Dylan’s family said that while their hearts break for their youngest son, they "are also filled with love for these and the other beautiful women who all selflessly died trying to save our children."

Below is the Hockley family's complete statement:

We want to give sincere thanks and appreciation to the emergency services and first responders who helped everyone on Friday, December 14. It was an impossible day for us, but even in our grief we cannot comprehend what other people may have experienced.

The support of our beautiful community and from family, friends and people around the world has been overwhelming and we are humbled. We feel the love and comfort that people are sending and this gives our family strength. We thank everyone for their support, which we will continue to need as we begin this long journey of healing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have also been affected by this tragedy. We are forever bound together and hope we can support and find solace with each other.

Sandy Hook and Newtown have warmly welcomed us since we moved here two years ago from England. We specifically chose Sandy Hook for the community and the elementary school.  We do not and shall never regret this choice.  Our boys have flourished here and our family's happiness has been limitless.

We cannot speak highly enough of Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach, exceptional women who knew both our children and who specifically helped us navigate Dylan's special education needs.  Dylan's teacher, Vicki Soto, was warm and funny and Dylan loved her dearly. 

We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died, but was wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide, Anne Marie Murphy.  Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every day. Though our hearts break for Dylan, they are also filled with love for these and the other beautiful women who all selflessly died trying to save our children.

Everyone who met Dylan fell in love with him. His beaming smile would light up any room and his laugh was the sweetest music.  He loved to cuddle, play tag every morning at the bus stop with our neighbors, bounce on the trampoline, play computer games, watch movies, the color purple, seeing the moon and eating his favorite foods, especially chocolate.  He was learning to read and was so proud when he read us a new book every day.  He adored his big brother Jake, his best friend and role model.

There are no words that can express our feeling of loss.  We will always be a family of four, as though Dylan is no longer physically with us, he is forever in our hearts and minds.  We love you Mister D, our special gorgeous angel.

The family of 6-year-old Emilie Parker, who was killed in the Connecticut school shooting, has been humbled by "countless kind gestures, words and prayers" since the tragedy, her father said.

"Remember these beautiful children; keep them close to our hearts," Robbie Parker said in a statement Tuesday to NBC News. "Do not let their bright shining faces become extinguished. Let us do everything in our power to ensure their light will continue to shine brighter and brighter in all we do to remember them."

The Parkers plan a viewing Friday and funeral Saturday for their daughter in Ogden, Utah, where the family lived before moving to Newtown, Conn., according to Salt Lake City-based NBC affiliate KLS-TV.

Following the shooting last week at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 20 children and six adults, Robbie Parker described Emilie to reporters as "bright, creating and very loving" and always willing to try new things "other than food."

"She always carried around her markers and pencils so that she never missed an opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for those around her," Parker added during a news conference on Saturday. "I can’t count the number of times Emilie noticed someone feeling sad or frustrated and would rush to find a piece of paper to draw them a picture or to write them an encouraging note."

The Parker family has since set up a fund in Emilie's memory to aid other families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.

They hope to create a memorial and "enduring legacy" for the victims in Newtown, with proceeds from the Emilie Parker Fund set to help those affected "in whatever ways each family deems necessary," according to the fund's website.

"Although no one can be prepared what to do at a time like this, I do know for certain that it is imperative that we all spend more time with our families and focus on those who are most precious in our lives," Robbie Parker said in his statement to NBC News.

Here is the statement in full:

We have been very humbled at the response received over the past few days and by the countless kind gestures, words and prayers offered to every family of every victim. I am grateful that the words spoken on Saturday night have found a way to be of comfort to some. The numerous requests to learn more about our dear Emilie have been truly humbling. Although no one can be prepared what to do at a time like this, I do know for certain that it is imperative that we all spend more time with our families and focus on those who are most precious in our lives. May we use all our energy and strength to overcome this terrible tragedy. May we focus our energy on those who were taken from us and let their memories inspire us to do good. May we look for opportunities to give service and work toward bettering our communities. I feel that if we can do these things we will again feel empowered, and we will make a difference. Remember these beautiful children; keep them close to our hearts. Do not let their bright shining faces become extinguished. Let us do everything in our power to ensure their light will continue to shine brighter and brighter in all we do to remember them.

In response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, people are committing random acts of kindness in honor of the shooting victims.

It started with a Tweet from Ann Curry, of NBC News:  “Imagine if all of us committed to 20 acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown. I'm in. If you are RT. #20Acts.”

The impact is being felt in a community that is mourning.

A resident of Arizona called Carminuccios Pizza, on South Main Street in Newtown, and bought 1,000 slices of pizza over the phone to be donated to anyone who went into the restaurant.

Whether the person made the donation because of the movement or just wanted to help is not known, and it is just one example of many in which people have reached out to Newtown and made similar donations to try to help ease the pain in some small way. 

The Wishing Well ift Shop, on Church Hill Road, posted words of thanks on Facebook after a woman bought several items.

"I don't know who this stuff is for, but I know that all of this is really hurting your business, so I just wanted to help you out," she said, according to the post.

Curry wrote about the movement on NBCNews.com and said tens of thousands of people responded on Facebook and Twitter. The pledge has since increased to 26 acts to also include the six adult women who were killed inside the school on Friday.

The response has been global, including in Connecticut, where residents from each corner of the state are in mourning.

Schaghticoke Middle School in New Milford put out the call on Twitter.

Some are committing to do 26 random acts of kindness by the end of Dec. in honor of Newtown victims. Will You?#26Acts#26ActsofKindness

— Schaghticoke MS(@SMS_CT) December 18, 2012

It is also taking off at New Milford High School.

NMHS students came up big today! I had numerous requests for Newtown fundraisers all day long- in halls, over email, at lunch, etc. #26acts

— Dr. Chris Longo (@DrChrisLongo) December 18, 2012

A man in Ontario placed a call to a Newtown restaurant and paid for meals, according to one Tweet.

Friends had their meal paid for at a Newtown restaurant by a man who called from Ontario @nbcnews @anncurry #26Acts

— Gina McDade (@McDGG) December 18, 2012

One woman decided to buy a cup of tea for the police officer behind her in line at the drive-through in Danbury.

Just bought a cup of tea for the #Danbury cop behind me at @dunkindonuts drive thru#26acts #thankyoufirstresponders

— Anne Cox (@anne246) December 18, 2012

Some have tweeted that they are sending cards to soldiers, in memory of the young victims. Others are making donations to help children overseas.

While there are many public pledges, others are no doubt being done privately and quietly by people who just have the desire to bring a smile to someone's face after so much sadness. 

Western Connecticut State University has set up a scholarship in honor of one of the young victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, age 6-and-1/2, was the daughter of WCSU music professor Jimmy Greene and the school has set up the Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Music Scholarship Fund.

“Ana's love for singing was evident before she was even able to talk. In a musical family, her gift for melody, pitch and rhythm stood out remarkably. And she never walked anywhere - her mode of transportation was dance. She danced from room to room and place to place. She danced to all the music she heard, whether in air or in her head. Ana loved her God, loved to read the Bible and loved to sing and dance as acts of worship. We ask that you pray for the legions of people who are left behind to cherish memories of her. We also ask that you, like Ana, commit selfless acts of kindness to all those around you. Maybe, in some way, through love, similar senseless acts of violence could be prevented," the family said in a statement.

You can make a contribution online here.