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View Winners → NRA, Initially Silent After Massacre, Now Speaks
Arcadia Weekly Dec 19, 2012
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Group to Hold Press Conference Friday
Despite swelling nationwide contemplation on the importance of gun control after Friday’s mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the National Rifle Association’s silence had been deafening. That is, until now.
The National Rifle Association on Tuesday broke its silence on last Friday’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., saying they want to “help make sure this never happens again.”
As of Monday evening the largest and most powerful gun-rights lobbying group in the U.S. had not posted anything to its website since Friday morning, when a lone gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut and killed 26 people, 20 of them children.
Film maker Michael Moore said “The long term solution to reducing gun deaths is to change our society from one of perpetual war and fear to one of peace and tolerance.
The short term solution? A law immediately banning semi-automatic weapons & mega-clips. Must have license to own gun. Must pass mental exam.” Moore sent in an email message to his followers.
NRA had posted no tweets. It made no mention of the shooting on its website. None of its leaders hit the media circuit Sunday to promote its support of the Second Amendment as the nation mourns the latest mass shooting victims and opens a brand new debate over gun restrictions. On Monday, the NRA offered no refutation as 300 anti-gun protesters marched to its Capitol Hill office.
Facing new restrictions on gun ownership in the tragedy’s aftermath, theNRA said it would hold “a major news conference” in Washington on Friday.
“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,” the organization said in a statement emailed to news outlets.
Twitter users have been steadfast, protesting the organization with hashtags like NoWayNRA.
The protestors who gathered outside the NRA’s lobbying headquarters on Capitol Hill Monday chanted, “Shame on the NRA” and waving signs declaring “Kill the 2nd Amendment, Not Children” and “Protect Children, Not Guns.”
By Terry Miller
