TODAY MARKS THE six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children and six teachers dead.

Some of the families and locals are expected to attend a remembrance morning in Newtown later, where a moment of silence is to be followed by a rally for measures in Congress to curb gun violence.

Twenty-six playgrounds are being built around the region to mark the tragedy. Each playground will showcase each of the victim’s likes and interests — everything from the moon to flamingos.

The families have agreed to participate in the project, led by a New Jersey firefighters union. For some, it has been a way to channel their grief as they prepare to mark half a year without their loved ones.

New Jersey firefighters construct a playground in Westport to honor Dylan Hockley, one of those killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December.(AP Photo/New Jersey Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association)

The shootings took place on 14 December last, when deranged 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot his mother and then drove to Sandy Hook and opened fire on innocent children and school workers.

The shootings were initially seen by many as a watershed moment that could swing public opinion behind national curbs on gun ownership.

However, support has wilted in Congress, with a proposal to ban military style assault weapons and to limit the size of ammunition clips failing to gain traction.

Officials at the scene outside of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

- AP

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