NRA meets in Texas days after massacre at school
Speakers denounce tragedy, but decry gun restriction talk
HOUSTON — One by one, they took the stage at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention and denounced the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in another part of Texas.
And one by one, they insisted that further restricting access to firearms was not the answer to preventing future tragedies.
“The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens,” said former President Donald Trump, who was among the Republicans who lined up to speak before the gun rights lobbying group Friday as thousands of protesters angry about gun violence demonstrated outside.
“The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens,” he said.
The gathering came three days after the shooting in Uvalde and as the nation grappled with revelations that students trapped inside a classroom with the gunman repeatedly called 911 during the attack — one pleading “Please send the police now” — as officers waited in the hallway for more than 45 minutes.
The NRA had said that convention attendees would “pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools secure.”
The meeting is the first for the troubled organization since 2019, following a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic. The organization also has been trying to regroup following a period of turmoil that included a failed bankruptcy effort, a class-action lawsuit and a fraud investigation by New York’s attorney general.
Wayne Lapierre, the group’s embattled chief executive, opened the program with remarks bemoaning the “Twentyone beautiful lives ruthlessly and indiscriminately extinguished by a criminal monster.”
Still, he said that “restricting the fundamental human rights of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is not the answer.”
Later, several hundred people in the auditorium stood and bowed their heads in a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting. Several thousand people were inside the auditorium during the speeches, which appeared fewer than the number gathered outside. Many seats were empty.
Trump accused Democrats of trying to exploit the tragedy and demonizing gun owners.
He called for overhauling school security and the nation’s approach to mental health, telling the group every school building should have a single point of entry, strong exterior fencing, metal detectors and hardened classroom doors and every school should have a police officer or armed guard on duty at all times. He also called yet again for trained teachers to be able to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.
He and other speakers overlooked the security upgrades that were already in place at the elementary school and did not stop the gunman, who entered the building through a back door that had been propped open.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who, like Trump, is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024, railed against Democrats’ calls for universal background checks for
gun purchases and banning assault-style weapons and instead pointed to broken families, declining church attendance, social media bullying and video games as the real problems.
“Tragedies like the event of this week are a mirror forcing us to ask hard questions, demanding that we see where our culture is failing,” he said. “We must not react to evil and tragedy by abandoning the Constitution or infringing on the rights of our law-abiding citizens.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi
Noem, another potential presidential contender, said calls to further restrict gun access are “all about control and it is garbage.”
Some scheduled speakers and performers backed out of the event, including several Texas lawmakers. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday morning that he had decided not to speak at an event breakfast after “prayerful consideration and discussion with NRA officials.”
“While a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an NRA member, I
would not want my appearance today to bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all those suffering in Uvalde,” he wrote in a statement.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was to attend, addressed the convention by prerecorded video instead.
Outside the convention hall, protesters gathered in a park where police set up barriers — some holding crosses with photos of the Uvalde shooting victims.
“Murderers!” some yelled in Spanish. “Shame on you!” others shouted at attendees.