NRA Breaks Their Silence on Sandy Hook School Shootings

The National Rifle Association has put out a statement saying it is "prepared to offer meaningful contributions" to prevent more violence like that which occurred in Newtown, Connecticut last week. The organization said it will hold a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday.

The statement reads:

"The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown.

"Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting.

"The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.

"The NRA is planning to hold a major news conference in the Washington, D.C. area on Friday, December 21.

"Details will be released to the media at the appropriate time."

According to CNN:

As of Monday evening the largest and most powerful gun-rights lobbying group in the U.S. had not posted anything to its websitesince Friday morning, when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton and killed 26 people, 20 of them children.

The NRA's Facebook page has been deactivated, and visitors are redirected to a bare-bones page where comments are disabled (although "Likes" are still allowed). Its Twitter account, which typically posts several times a day, also has been quiet. The group's last tweet, on Friday morning, was a promotional message that said, "10 Days of NRA Giveaways - Enter today for a chance to win an auto emergency tool!"

In a statement provided to CNN Friday about the shootings, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said only, "Until the facts are thoroughly known, NRA will not have any comment."