National Rifle Association to Respond to Newtown Shootings in Washington Friday

The National Rifle Association, the nation's most prominent gun lobbying group, will speak out Friday in Washington on the Newtown school shootings.

“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,” stated an NRA press release four days after the shootings.

Since the Aurora, CO, shootings in July 2012, media outlets have sought a response from the NRA, a Fairfax, VA-based nonprofit that, according to its website, is “widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights.”

The group has stayed silent and suspended some of its social media, including a 1.7 million fan Facebook page, since the shootings.

The press release lacked specifics but said the group would hold a “major news conference."

“The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again,” the statement said.

Locally, the NRA has 86 clubs and associations within a 30-mile radius of Rockville, MD, as well as 138 locations that offer basic firearms training, 31 gun ranges and four “Refuse to be a Victim” seminars.