Secret tape made after Columbine shows NRA's evolution on school shootings : Up First A day after the horrific school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Association gathered to craft their response. Tim Mak of NPR's Investigations team obtained secret recordings of how they developed their message; it would become their standard response for decades of school shootings to come.

Investigations: The NRA's Secret Tapes

Investigations: The NRA's Secret Tapes

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MARIO TAMA/AFP via Getty Images
National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre (C) speaks during a news conference 10 May, 1999 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
MARIO TAMA/AFP via Getty Images

A day after the horrific school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Association gathered to craft their response. Tim Mak of NPR's Investigations team obtained secret recordings of how they developed their message; it would become their standard response for decades of school shootings to come.