The largest gun rights organization in the United States - typically outspoken about its positions even after shooting deaths - has gone all but silent since last week's rampage at a Connecticut elementary school.

The National Rifle Association's Facebook page has disappeared. The NRA has posted no tweets. It makes no mention of the shooting on its website. None of its leaders hit the media circuit on Sunday to promote its support of the US Constitution's Second Amendment right to bear arms as the nation mourns the latest shooting victims and opens a new debate over gun restrictions.

The NRA offered no rebuttal as 300 anti-gun protesters marched to its Capitol Hill office. There is no indication that the NRA's silence signals a change in its ardent opposition to gun restrictions.