Five days after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, the National Rifle Association has broken its silence.
The NRA had avoided any public comment on the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut since last Friday, going so far as to shut down its Facebook page and go silent on Twitter. Late yesterday, though, the organization issued a statement announcing a "major" press conference this Friday, adding that it was committing itself to making sure "this never happens again."
A number of legislators in the U.S. Congress have the same goal, although they're likely to differ on strategy. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is one of the lawmakers leading the charge. She plans to introduce legislation that would reinstate a ban on assault weapons. Meanwhile, President Obama is slated to announce today that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an effort to formulate policies in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting - a follow through from the President's pronouncement Sunday that he would use "whatever power this office holds" to prevent another tragedy like the one in Connecticut.
This morning on NOW, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will outline her plan to strengthen safety in schools - as well as describe her strategy to motivate Congress to confront the issue behind one of America's deepest political divides. That and more when we see you at noon ET on NOW.
PANEL
Kurt Andersen, Author, "True Believers" (@kbandersen)
Garance Franke-Ruta, Sr. Editor, The Atlantic (@thegarance)
Ryan Grim, Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post (@ryangrim)
Eric Bates, Executive Editor, Rolling Stone
GUESTS
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (@senatorboxer)
Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK (Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good) (@sr_simone)
REPORTER
Luke Russert, NBC News (@lukerussert)