( CNN ) -- The people of Newtown , Connecticut , on Saturday are remembering a tragedy that convulsed the nation one year ago . A socially awkward young man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School with a rifle on December 14 , 2012 . Adam Lanza gunned down 20 children , ages 6 and 7 , and six adults at the school . Then he killed himself . The people in this community of 28,000 in the southwest part of the state hope to grieve in private . Town leaders have asked the news media to stay away . `` There 's an emotional and economic toll that we pay when the media descends on us , so we ask for your forbearance after today and respectfully request that you allow us a time of peace and quiet , '' said Pat Llodra , the town 's first selectman , a role similar to that of mayor . In Washington , President Obama and the first lady observed a moment of silence and lit candles in honor of those lost in the massacre . Obama devoted his weekly address on Saturday to the one-year anniversary of the shooting . `` As parents , as Americans , the news filled us with grief , '' Obama said in his address . `` Newtown is a town like so many of our hometowns . The victims were educators and kids that could have been any of our own . And our hearts were broken for the families that lost a piece of their heart ; for the communities changed forever ; for the survivors , so young , whose innocence was torn away far too soon . '' Obama honored the `` impossibly brave '' Newtown parents `` who stepped forward in the hopes that they might spare others their heartbreak . And they were joined by millions of Americans -- mothers and fathers ; sisters and brothers -- who refused to accept these acts of violence as somehow inevitable . '' `` Over the past year , their voices have sustained us . And their example has inspired us -- to be better parents and better neighbors ; to give our children everything they need to face the world without fear ; to meet our responsibilities not just to our own families , but to our communities . More than the tragedy itself , that 's how Newtown will be remembered , '' Obama said . Many news organizations said they 'll honor that request by not reporting in the city of Newtown itself , but that was before Friday 's shooting at Arapahoe High in Colorado . The news value of Newtown has gone up . CNN will air a documentary about Newtown at 7 p.m . ET on Saturday . Media vow to remember Newtown tragedy in respectful manner . Nobody knows why Lanza , 20 , killed the children and adults at the school , his mother at the home they shared , and himself . He had attended the school briefly , but that was years ago . Last month , Connecticut 's state attorney 's office released its official report that tried to piece together what happened . The investigation provided some insights into the life and actions of the gunman , but his motive remains a mystery . The report suggested that improving the delivery of mental health care to those with chronic mental illness may be an important element in reducing certain acts of violence , and that mass shooters are not `` enthralled '' with violent video games . After Newtown , mental health gains prominence in gun debate . The unanswered questions deepen the tragedy of Newtown , the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history , following the April 2007 slaying of 32 people at Virginia Tech . The shootings also caused a renewal of the debate over gun control . Obama addressed that issue in his Saturday remarks . `` We have n't yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer . We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily . We have to do more to heal troubled minds . We have to do everything we can to protect our children from harm and make them feel loved , and valued , and cared for , '' he said . `` As a nation , we ca n't stop every act of violence . We ca n't heal every troubled mind . But if we want to live in a country where we can go to work , send our kids to school , and walk our streets free from fear , we have to keep trying . We have to keep caring . We have to treat every child like they 're our child . Like those in Sandy Hook , we must choose love . And together , we must make a change . '' Newtown a year later .
NEW : President Obama remembers Newtown . One year ago , Adam Lanza killed 20 young children , 6 adults . No motive has been uncovered for Lanza 's actions . Town leaders have asked the media to respect town 's privacy .