NRA goes silent on social media

The powerful US gun lobby has turned silent on social media, apparently suspending its Facebook page in the wake of the school massacre. The Facebook page for the National Rifle Association boasted on Twitter last week that it had 1.7 million "likes". The NRA, one of the most influential lobby groups in Washington, has been the target of intense criticism for its stand on gun regulation, which is blamed for attacks including Friday's horrific slayings. On Facebook, the NRA presence was reduced to several small fan pages and closed groups. On Twitter, the main NRA account with 63,800 followers has been silent since a tweet on Friday about a giveaway. The group had previously been active on Twitter, tweeting news stories about weapons, including one which said Florida was nearing one million permits for concealed weapons. The trade publication AdWeek said the group appeared to want to avoid debate on its pages. "Facebook news feeds and Twitter streams have been inundated with debate about whether the nation's politicians should enact federal gun-control legislation in reaction to the recent string of mass shootings," AdWeek said. "The conversation has ranged from typically political to thoughtful to downright ugly." On Twitter, pro- and anti-gun control proponents traded tweets, many using the #NoWayNRA hashtag. "The 'right to bear arms' is not more important than a child's right to grow up," one Twitter user wrote. But another tweeted: "when the politicians who kill babies, arm cartels & radical Jihadists and spend us to oblivion give up their guns, I will too." AFP
 

Nation's parents fear the unknown

Parents across America agonised over whether to send their children to school and cautious educators locked down schools at the first hint of trouble this week, making for nervous days at school following the massacre. Schools fearful of "copycats" or troublemakers who might phone in empty threats grappled with how to respond and whether to discuss Friday's shootings with children. Many revised their security protocols, wondering if there was any way to keep a rampaging gunman from breaching their walls. Safety was balanced against concerns over frightening children unnecessarily. Politicians debated whether to fortify schools with armed guards. "It's hard to think about explaining to your kids something you don't understand yourself," said Karen Barbera, a mother of two in San Francisco who said she spent more time saying goodbye to them on Monday morning. "I hugged them extra tight." There were reports of arrests of people accused of making threats against public schools in Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, and Cedar Lake, Indiana. Reuters

LOS ANGELES - A Florida man has been jailed for 10 years for hacking into the e-mail accounts of celebrities to gain access to nude photos and private information. Christopher Chaney, 36, said he hacked into the accounts of film star Scarlett Johansson and more than 50 people in the entertainment industry because he was addicted to spying on their private lives. Reuters