Updated 5:19 p.m. PT
The National Rifle Association finally broke its silence Tuesday over the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., five days after the school massacre, and reactivated its Facebook page.
"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 group said in a statement. "The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again."
Also read: NRA Deactivates Its Facebook After Shootings
The gun advocacy group — which took its Facebook page down on Monday amidst a raging gun-control controversy — said it planned to hold a major news conference in Washington on Friday.
The NRA has been criticized for remaining silent on the gun-control debate that followed the killings. It not only deactivated its Facebook page and was silent on Twitter after Adam Lanza gunned down his mother, 20 children and six more women.
Its only new tweet currently is a link to its formal statement.