Guns Will Be Banned From Trump’s Speech At The NRA Meeting In Texas On Friday
Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott are also slated to speak at the conference.
Safety first — at least for a select few. In spite of the horrific massacre of children and teachers in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, the NRA will go on as planned with their national meetings and exhibits this weekend.
They’re just adding some extra precautions so no one gets hurt.
The annual event takes place this year in Houston, a 4-5 hour drive to the east of Uvalde. One of this year’s big draws will be Friday’s NRA National Leadership Forum, featuring former President Donald Trump.
During Trump’s appearance, the secret service will be in charge of the General Assembly Hall at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, and they have some common sense measures put into place to ensure the safety of speakers and attendees.
Attendees, who must be NRA members, will be subject to a search of themselves and their belongings upon entrance. Prohibited items include ammunition, drones, backpacks, firearms, firearm accessories, toy guns, and umbrellas.
There will also be no storage available for firearms, which makes for an interesting contrast with Texas HB 29, which went into effect on September 1, 2021, and allows public buildings to provide lockers for people to store their weapons, and to charge fees for the service. Funny that the convention center, which is jointly owned by the City of Houston and the Houston First Corporation, doesn’t want to jump on that one!
Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Representative Dan Crenshaw, and Governor Greg Abbott are also slated to speak at the forum, which the NRA bills as “featuring our nation’s top Second Amendment leaders in government, the media, and the entertainment industry.” Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson of North Carolina will also be in attendance.
Abbott, who made a statement about the school shooting yesterday, has been very busy passing pro-gun laws in Texas that make guns easier to buy, sell, carry, and use.
The NRA has endorsed both Abbott and Cruz, and given A+ ratings to Cruz and Cornyn. The Brady Campaign reports that in 2019 Senators Cornyn and Cruz were among the top 50 in receiving contributions from the NRA, collecting $78,945, and $176,274, respectively.
Being in such proximity to the site of the second worst elementary school shooting in U.S. history, these politicians will have a lot weighing on them as they prepare to speak at the forum, but one thing they won’t have to worry about at the General Assembly Hall is getting shot.
What are the chances we could extend this kind of protection to schoolchildren?
