On Tuesday, May 24, 19 children and two teachers were murdered in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
As with almost every mass shooting—including the recent White nationalist domestic terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York on May 14—public sentiments divide between those calling for change to United States gun laws like mandatory background checks and waiting periods and gun rights activists who say "guns don't kill people, people kill people" or "it's too soon" to talk about gun laws.
However the gun rights advocates aren't heeding their own advice.
On Friday, May 27, the largest gun rights advocacy organization in the United States, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action or NRA-ILA, is holding their annual Leadership Forum in Houston, Texas—about 275 miles east of the site of the latest school massacre.
Republican Governors Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Greg Abbott of Texas, GOP Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and Representative Dan Crenshaw all of Texas and former Republican President Donald Trump as well as NRA leadership are all slated to speak about gun laws and legislation.
But the organization that promotes expanding concealed carry laws, background check loopholes and the elimination of waiting periods is once again banning firearms and firearm accessories from their own annual meeting.
According to the NRA's website, anyone attending the forum in the General Assembly Hall at George R. Brown Convention Center with a bevy of Republicans, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, NRA-ILA Executive Director Jason Ouimet and “our nation’s top Second Amendment supporters," will have to leave their guns at home.
All firearms are banned and storage will not be provided anywhere on or near the site—a point the NRA made very clear on their website.
nraam.org
Hypocrisy is not a new accusation for the NRA or Republicans, but in the wake of two mass shootings in 10 days that killed 31 people, neither group is being cut any slack.
After all, if people are the problem, not guns and the NRA and their enablers claim their members are the good guys with guns, firearms should never be banned at an NRA event for any reason.
Many asked that question online.
In June 2021, Texas GOP Governor Abbott signed a bill allowing Texans to carry a handgun without training, a background check or a license—except apparently at gun rights conventions. South Dakota Republican Governor Noem signed a bill that got rid of fees for concealed gun permits in March 2022.
None of the speakers have commented on the NRA's gun ban.
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