NRA Membership Surge, Numbers Increased Since Newton School Shooting

Since a Newton school shooting where 26 children and adults died last Friday, membership for the National Rifle Association has increased and is continuing to do so, according to sources.

An anonymous insider at the NRA told Fox News that based on his access to internal memos prepared by the association's membership division, since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the NRA has registered an average of 8,000 new members a day. The source also revealed that both the number of individual contributions to the NRA and their average amount have increased significantly since the school massacre on Dec. 14.

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The association released its first social-media post following the school shooting on Tuesday. It posting on Twitter a link to a statement, which noted that the NRA is prepared to offer "meaningful contributions" to help make sure another shooting massacre like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School never happens again. Also mentioned was that the NRA plans on holding a "major news conference" in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Dec. 21. 

"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 statement read. "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."

Sources close to the issue told Fox News that the NRA's news conference may be a way for it to "push back" against gun-control advocates who, since the shooting, have launched a campaign to pressure Congress and the Obama administration into enacting stricter gun and rifle regulations. 

Friday's news conference follows President Barack Obama's speech on Wednesday where he announced a new administration task force, led by Vice President Biden, to examine policy proposals that can help reduce gun violence.

The NRA Facebook page went dark in the immediate days following the Dec. 14 attack but it is again accessible as of Tuesday and a link to the statement was posted.