A 16-member commission, appointed in Connecticut to examine last month’s shooting rampage at an elementary school, kicked off its deliberations Thursday, even as the nation continued to wrestle with finding policies on how to deal with gun violence.

The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was appointed to review a variety of gun issues including school safety and mental health questions. It is expected to issue preliminary recommendations by mid-March.

The advisory commission was created by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Jan. 3, just weeks after the attack by Adam Lanza on the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Using an assault weapon, Lanza killed 20 children and six adults in the school. He began his spree by killing his mother in the home they shared and ended it by killing himself.