ATLANTA — Churches and places of worship across Georgia are planning to ring their bells at 9:30 a.m. Friday, in remembrance of the 20 children and six adults gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland and the Georgia Municipal Association have encouraged churches statewide to consider the moment of silence. The mayor's assistant, Leslie Balog, suggested the idea after recalling how church bells in Henry County rang shortly after a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007.

In Athens, students will ring the University of Georgia Chapel bell 26 times at 9:30 a.m. Friday in memory of the lost lives, the university announced Wednesday.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has proclaimed Friday a day of mourning.