Three days after a mass shooting at Rob Elementary School in Uwalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two adults, the National Weapons Association began its annual convention about 280 miles away in Houston.
Faced with shrinking membership and revenue, and after a debate over gun reform across the country, keynote speakers such as former President Donald Trump attended the congress, which is scheduled to run until Sunday, according to the NRA website.
During the congress, Trump criticized the Republicans, who decided not to attend after the shooting in Uwalde, saying: “Unlike some, I did not disappoint you by not showing up.”
He also called the latest push for arms reform politically motivated.
“They want a complete confiscation of weapons,” he said. “This will be the first step. Once they get the first step, the second, the third and the fourth. You will have a completely different view of the second amendment.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz echoed Trump’s sentiment, saying, “We know that keeping guns away from law-abiding citizens does very little to keep them away from criminals.”
Meanwhile, in front of the congress hall, the leaders of the country’s Democrats, in addition to the protesters, including children, expressed outrage from those present at the NRA congress.
A young girl holds a plaque during a protest in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston, Texas, as the NRA Congress takes place a few days after the shooting at Rob Elementary School in Uwalde, Texas. Wally Scalridge through Getty
“They prioritize power and profit over life. I don’t know if you’ll ever find common ground with someone who works that way,” Texas Democratic Gov. candidate Beto O’Rourke told CBS News. Earlier this week, O’Rourke spoke to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about his response to the Uwalde shooting during a news conference.
An activist also confronted Cruz at a restaurant in Houston on Friday night. In a video shared on social media, Benjamin Hernandez, a board member of the Indivisible Houston group, asked Cruz why he attended the congress and begged the senator to support “stricter gun laws”, including past checks. Cruz began to answer several times, but Hernandez spoke over him.
The guards quickly intervened and stood between the two, as Hernandez repeatedly asked Cruz, “Why is this still happening?”
As security guards removed Hernandez from the restaurant, he shouted at Cruz, “Nineteen children have died. It’s in your hands.
Hernandez told CBS News on Saturday that he was up against Cruz because he believed the senator “should be held accountable”.
Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee told CBS News that months before the midterm elections, she believes Washington will not remain divided over gun laws.
“I hope not. I hope that my feelings of anxiety and anger do not run counter to our responsibility to work for compromise and achieve it. “
Add Comment