HUSTON –
The National Weapons Association kicks off its annual convention in Houston on Friday, and leaders of a powerful arms rights lobby are preparing to “think” – and dismiss any blame for – the deadly shooting earlier this week of 19 children and two primary school teachers. school in Uwalde, Texas.
Former US President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans are due to address the three-day firearms marketing and advocacy event, which is expected to draw on protesters who are fed up with gun violence.
Some scheduled speakers and performers have resigned, including two Texas lawmakers and American Pie singer Don McLean, who said it would be “disrespectful” to continue his actions after the country’s last mass shooting.
As US President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress renewed calls for tougher gun laws, NRA board member Phil Jurney said the focus should be on better mental health and attempts to prevent gun violence. He said he would not support banning or restricting access to firearms.
The NRA said in an online statement that people attending the gun show would “think about” the shooting at the Uwalde school, “pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members and promise to redouble our commitment to make our schools safe.” .
People who planned to attend took registration badges on Thursday and bought NRA souvenirs, such as “Suns Out Guns Out” T-shirts. Police have already placed metal barriers on the other side of the Congress Center, in a park where protesters are expected to gather on Friday.
Gary Francis travels with his wife and friends from Racine, Wisconsin to attend the NRA meeting. He said he opposed any arms control regulations in response to the shooting of Uwalde.
“What happened there is obviously tragic,” he said. “But the NRA had nothing to do with it. The people who come here had nothing to do with it.”
Texas has experienced a series of mass shootings in recent years. During this time, the Republican-led legislature and governor relaxed gun laws.
There is a precedent for the NRA to gather amid local mourning and controversy. The organization continued with a shortened version of its 1999 meeting in Denver about a week after the deadly shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. Actor Charlton Heston, the NRA’s president at the time, told those present that “terrible actions” should not become an opportunity to restrict constitutional rights and condemned critics for describing NRA members as “villains”.
Rocky Marshall, a former member of the NRA board, said that while the Uwalde tragedy “puts the meeting in a bad light”, that is no reason to cancel it. Marshall said defenders and opponents of gun rights may be able to reduce gun violence if they focus on factors such as mental illness or school security.
“Throwing stones at the NRA does not solve the next mass shooting,” he said. “Throwing stones at people who hate guns doesn’t solve the next mass shooting.”
But country singer Larry Gatlin, who dropped out of the event, said he hoped the NRA would “rethink some of its outdated and ill-considered positions.”
“Although I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA, I began to believe that although past checks will not stop everyone crazy with a gun, this is at least a step in the right direction,” Gatlin said.
Country singers Lee Greenwood and Larry Stewart also retired, Variety reported.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said on Thursday that NRA leaders “are contributing to the problem of gun violence, not trying to solve it.” She accused them of representing the interests of arms manufacturers “who sell weapons of war to young adults”.
Two Republican MPs in Texas who were scheduled to speak on Friday – US Senator John Cornin and US Representative Dan Crenshaw – are no longer present due to what their officials said were changes in their schedules.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was due to attend, will instead address Congress through a pre-recorded video, his spokesman told The Dallas Morning News.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was named as a speaker, and Trump said Wednesday that he still intends to attend. South Dakota Gov. Christie Noem, a Republican, also sticks to her plans to speak at Friday’s NRA event.
Although personal firearms were allowed in Congress, the NRA said the weapons would not be allowed during the Trump session because of Secret Service security protocols.
Several groups have said they plan to hold protests outside the convention center.
“This is not the time or place for this convention,” said Cesar Espinoza, executive director of FIEL, a Houston-based civil rights group that plans to take part in the protests. “We should not just have thoughts and prayers from legislators, but rather we need action to tackle this public health crisis that is affecting our communities.
Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Abbott in the run for governor of Texas in 2022, said he would attend a protest outside Congress on Friday.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, said the city is obliged to host the NRA event, which has been under contract for more than two years. But he urged politicians to miss it.
“You can’t pray and send condolences one day and then go and defend your weapons the next day. That’s wrong,” Turner said.
Shannon Watts, founder of the Moms Demand Action, said she was not surprised that the NRA was not canceling the meeting.
“The real question now is which elected officials will choose to side with the violence and go kiss the ring in Houston this weekend instead of on the side of communities calling for public safety,” Watts said.
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David A. Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri
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