Trump: 2nd Amendment, ‘under siege’ by activists
He offers no indication of softening his stance on gun control at NRA convention in Dallas
DALLAS — A defiant President Donald Trump, invoking Texas’ revolutionary battle cry “Come and Take It” to roaring applause, pledged Friday to never back down on his support for Second Amendment gun rights even as opponents push for stringent new controls.
Appearing with Vice President Mike Pence at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting, Trump warned that Americans’ constitutional right to bear arms is under siege and repeatedly exhorted the cheering crowd to turn out and vote for Republicans in November.
That’s the best way to keep those rights intact, Trump said.
“Thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your Second Amendment,” the president said. Trump’s speech veered from a call to arms against gun control after recent mass shootings to a virtual pep rally for the achievements he says his administration is racking up, from record low unemployment to $2 billion in new funding to bolster school safety.
Following the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, which left 17 dead and 17 wounded, Trump raised concerns among gun rights advocates because he might moderate his views on universal back-
ground checks and possibly raise the age to purchase firearms to 21 from 18. But in his speech Friday, he offered no indication he would soften his position.
In recent months, since the November church massacre in Sutherland Springs and the Parkland shooting, the NRA has come under fire from Democrats and gun control advocates who are pushing for new restrictions — from a ban on assault weapons to background checks on gun-show purchases to additional gun-free zones.
The NRA conventioneers were repeatedly called upon by Trump and other speakers to defend the Second Amendment. A video clip of Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy calling the NRA a “terrorist organization” became a rallying point in the convention hall throughout the day.
As the speeches were underway, a 15-acre array of weaponry was on display in an exhibits hall next door featuring rifles, pistols, military-grade weapons and helicopter gunship gear.
Large-scale protests that had been anticipated outside the convention hall failed to materialize Friday due to heavy rains and thunderstorms. Larger numbers of protesters are expected to turn out Saturday.
But on Friday, Trump had the spotlight to himself in a supportive state before a friendly crowd, and he made the most of it.
“The one thing that has always stood between the American people and their Second Amendment rights is people fighting to keep them,” Trump said, recalling the group of outnumbered Texans who in 1835 refused to surrender their cannon to the advancing Mexican Army in the tiny town of Gonzales.
“They were not about to give up their rights,” he said. “We will live free and we will die free.”
‘We have to win’
Railing against leftists, Democrats, liberals and the media elite, Trump repeatedly blasted away at critics before the 80,000 conventioneers.
“We cannot get complacent. We have to win the midterms,” he said, referring to the upcoming November elections in which Democrats are hoping a “blue wave” of turnout will help them retake control of Congress. “We’ve got to do great in ’18.”
In his speech, he endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott for re-election — “our great Abbott,” he called him — as well as Attorney General Ken Paxton; his wife, Angela, who is running for the Texas Senate; and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and former presidential rival whom he once called “the single biggest liar.”
Trump headlined an afternoon of speeches that featured seasoned politicians like Abbott, along with Stephen Willeford, a plumber credited with stopping the Sutherland Springs church massacre. Also there were Diamond and Silk, the rhythmical pro-Trump social media personalities Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, whose sharp criticism of Democrats drew raucous laughter and applause.
Trump’s speech veered between topics ranging from North Korea (“We’re really doing well in North Korea”) and socalled sanctuary cities (“Our cities should be a safe haven for Americans, not sanctuaries for violent criminals”) to the border wall (“After years of defending the borders of other countries, we’re going to start defending our borders”) and immigration reform (“Based on merit, not based on picking someone out of a bin”).
Trump even credited recording artist and media personality Kanye West, a self-professed Trump fan, for helping boost his popularity with black voters.
“Kanye West must have some power because you probably saw I doubled my AfricanAmerican poll numbers,” Trump said.
“We went from 11 to 22 in one week,” he added. “Thank you, Kanye.”
But defense of the Second Amendment was the touchstone of the day.
“The quickest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Pence told the conventioneers.
Sutherland Springs
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, echoed that sentiment, citing Sutherland Springs as an example where a citizen with a gun stopped a greater tragedy.
“There are people today who are trying to shut us up and shut us down,” he said. “You can’t ignore the Second Amendment any more than you can the rest of the amendments . ... Its future is in our hands.”
Citing the example of Willeford, the hero in the Sutherland Springs shooting, Cornyn advocated “responsible gun ownership” rather than new limitations on firearms.
Cruz, insisting that “the right to bear arms is fundamental,” said responsible gun owners are a key to preventing future mass shootings.
“The legacy of Sutherland Springs is not the evil of that madman; the legacy is of bravery and courage and sacrifice for your fellow man,” he said.
In his speech, Abbott also touted the role religion can play in helping curtail violence.
“The problem is not guns,” the governor said. “It’s hearts without God.”