This image was posted on Twitter by the NRA last week.(Photo: NRA)
The National Rifle Association took down its Facebook page the day of
the bloody shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- one day
after the NRA was promoting a milestone of 1.7 million 'likes."
The NRA's last Twitter update
about "10 Days of NRA Giveaways" was posted Friday morning. The first
911 calls went out from Connecticut school at about 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The NRA did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
The
4.3 million-member NRA's strong pro-gun position has been under siege
since the shootings that left 28 people dead, including 20 children and
the shooter, Adam Lanza.
Nancy Lanza, 54, was found dead of
multiple gunshot wounds at her home. Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot
himself at the elementary school with one of the handguns.
Connecticut
State Police Lt. Paul Vance has said Lanza was armed with an assault
rifle and two semi-automatic pistols, which were registered to and
legally owned by his mother.
Removing a Facebook page is an
unusual step for an organization, though the NRA can bring the page back
within 30 days without losing any data, archived posts or page "likes."
Josh Constine, a writer for Techcrunch,
theorizes that the NRA took down its Facebook page because "pro- and
anti-gun citizens likely would have gone to war on its wall," adding
that "discussions could have taken an ugly turn, with those on either
side leaving inappropriate posts and comments."
The NRA also
canceled a "Tweet & Greet" with country musician Colt Ford on
Twitter Friday afternoon, but didn't explain why, the New York Daily News reports.
In
July, an NRA Twitter account tweeted, "Good morning, shooters. Weekend
plans? Happy Friday!" following the movie theater shooting spree in
Aurora, Colo., that left 12 people dead and dozens wounded. The NRA said
the tweeter had not heard about the shooting.
USA Today