The annual meeting of the NRA was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this year the organization is moving forward with its plans, holding the meeting at a time when both arms rights and the organization itself were under intense scrutiny, especially after a shooting at an elementary school in Uwalde, Texas, left 21 dead.
Here is what we know about the annual meeting in 2022.
The annual meeting and exhibitions of the National Revenue Agency for 2022 are scheduled to take place from 27 to 29 May, according to the website of the event. The forum of leaders, which the organization describes as “one of the most important political and popular events in the country”, will be held on Friday afternoon.
Where is the meeting?
The Leadership Forum will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, the same venue it would have been last September for the 2021 annual meeting.
Who can attend the meeting?
The annual meeting is open only to members of the NRA. The organization currently has more than five million members, according to its website.
Who are this year’s speakers?
Friday’s meeting will include remarks from eight people, including NRA chief Wayne Lapierre and Jason Wymett, executive director of the group’s lobby group, according to the event’s website.
Trump will also speak at the event. The former president, who has maintained close ties with the arms lobby and its activists throughout his presidency, spoke at the 2019 event, which marked his fifth consecutive speech at the annual meeting.
In addition to Trump, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw, also a Republican, are due to speak at Friday’s meeting. South Dakota Gov. Christie Noem and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, both Republicans, will also make remarks.
What are the security measures?
The NRA said that because Trump would attend the event, the US Secret Service “will take control of the General Assembly Hall and have magnetometers in place before entering.”
Attendees are prohibited from carrying “firearms, firearms accessories, knives and other items”, including backpacks and selfie sticks.
What happened after the 2019 meeting?
Friday’s annual meeting will come at a time when gun rights and the NRA have come under intense scrutiny, with gun control supporters turning their attention to the organization this week after an 18-year-old shooter fatally shot dead 19 children and two teachers. elementary school in Uwalde, Texas, before he was killed by police, officials said.
The NRA condemned the shooting in a statement Wednesday, calling it a “horrific and evil crime”.
“Although the investigation is ongoing and the facts are still emerging, we acknowledge that this is an act of a lonely, insane criminal,” the group said. “As we gather in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members, and commit to redouble our commitment to making our schools safe.”
The massacre is the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut in 2012, which killed 26 people, including 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7.
The NRA is also struggling to stay afloat after New York Attorney General Leticia James filed a lawsuit to dismiss the NRA for alleged misuse of charitable funds. In March, a judge at the New York State Supreme Court blocked James’ attempt to dissolve the organization, but allowed her lawsuit against her to continue. Observers are also awaiting a ruling from the US Supreme Court on the largest Second Amendment case it has launched in more than a decade. Judges are considering whether to repeal New York’s gun law, passed more than a century ago, which imposes restrictions on carrying concealed weapons outside the home.
What happened at the last annual meeting?
At the annual meeting in 2019, Trump announced that he would not ratify the UN Arms Trade Treaty and then signed a statement to the Senate in front of an audience of NRA leaders.
The meeting was also remarkable because then-NRA President Oliver North told members during the meeting that he would not be re-nominated for group president after a dispute with LaPierre. The announcement was made in a letter in which North said he hoped to be nominated for a second term, but “I am now informed that this will not happen.”
Already a controversial figure due to her involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, North joined the NRA at a critical time for her as she responded to renewed calls for gun control following the 2017 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
This story has been updated with a statement from the National Revenue Agency.
CNN’s Arian de Vogue, Sonia Moghe, Jeremy Diamond, Megan Vazquez and Nicki Carvajal contributed to this report.
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