NRA criticised for holding Texas convention 72 hours after school shooting
One of America’s most powerful lobby groups has been lashed for an insensitive and indecent event that will be attended by Donald Trump.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Just 72 hours after a tragic shooting at a Texas primary school, America’s most powerful gun lobby group will hold its annual convention in the same state.
On Friday, the National Rifle Association (NRA) will hold its Annual Leadership Forum in Houston, Texas, with former president Donald Trump slated to headline.
The convention will take place just three days after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and opened fire, killing 19 children aged between seven and 10, and also killing two teachers.
The massacre was the 27th school shooting to occur in the US this year alone. The two assault rifles Ramos used were purchased the week before, a few days after his 18th birthday.
As well as Mr Trump, controversial Senator Ted Cruz is also set to attend the NRA convention. Meanwhile Texas’ Governor (and avid gun rights advocate) Greg Abbott has not yet confirmed his attendance.
American Pie singer Don McLean was due to perform at the event but has pulled out in the wake of the shooting.
“I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform,” McLean said in a statement.
“I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well.”
The convention has drawn national criticism for its insensitivity to the shooting victims and their families. The NRA has billed the event as a “freedom-filled weekend” celebrating “the latest guns and gear,” and attended by Second Amendment patriots.
In the wake of Tuesday’s shooting, the NRA put out a statement extending its “deepest sympathies” to the families and victims, adding that the organisation “will reflect on these events”.
However, the statement fell on deaf ears.
— NRA (@NRA) May 25, 2022
Governor candidate for Texas, Beto O’Rourke called on Mr Abbott to boycott the event and said the convention should be moved.
“Governor Abbott, if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend’s NRA convention and urge them to hold it anywhere but Texas,” he tweeted.
Mr O’Rourke made global headlines when he interrupted a press conference being held by Mr Abbott, where he blasted the hesitancy and opposition held by certain politicians over gun reform.
“The time to stop the next shooting is now and you’re doing nothing!” Mr O’Rourke shouted at Mr Abbott during the televised briefing with a slew of other Texas officials.
Governor Abbott, if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend’s NRA convention and urge them to hold it anywhere but Texas.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 25, 2022
After being ejected from the room, Mr O’Rourke continued his points as he spoke to reporters outside.
“The majority of Texas is not reflected by that Governor or those people around the table who talk about mental health care and say that this is pure evil but that it is completely unpredictable.
“This is predictable. It will happen and it will continue to happen until we change course.”
Mr O’Rourke’s words mirror a long struggle the US has had with firearm regulation and reform. A cornerstone of the problem lies within the influence of the NRA on politicians, particularly the Republican Party.
What is the NRA?
As the name suggests, the NRA stands for the free ownership of guns and firearms, as set out by the second amendment of the US Constitution.
Created in the shadow of the American Civil War, it states: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
The impact on gun reform by gun lobbies, of which the NRA is the most prominent, has been well documented and highly criticised. The lobby groups have ties with America’s multi-billion dollar firearms industries and they support Republican and right-wing candidates who advocate anti-gun control measures on both a state and federal level.
In 2020, Fortune reports the NRA spent a more than $US12 million ($A17 million) campaigning against Joe Biden and another $US4.5 million ($A6.3 million) campaigning in favour of Donald Trump. In 2021, pro-gun groups spent a record $US15.8 million ($A22 million) in lobbying and campaign contributions.
‘Where is our backbone?’: Joe Biden’s plea to the US
Even US President Joe Biden made reference to gun lobbies in his address to the nation, pleading with politicians to “turn this pain into action”.
“Where in God’s name is our backbone, to have the courage to deal with this and stand up to the [gun] lobbies?” he said.
“When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?”
These kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 25, 2022
Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Where in God's name is our backbone to have the courage to stand up to the gun lobby?
It is time to turn this pain into action.
This isn’t the first time Mr Biden has had difficulties implementing firearm regulation reform. He was serving as vice president (during Barack Obama’s presidency) when the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre took place in Newtown, Connecticut.
That shooting saw 20 children aged six and seven, as well as six teachers killed. At the time, Mr Biden was the head of a task force to try to reduce gun violence.
In the wake of the tragedy, then US president Barack Obama attempted to pass legislation which called on tighter background checks on gun purchases and the restrictions on the sales of certain weapons and ammunition types.
However, the bill was shot down in the Senate, where Congress voted against the more strict measures. Today, the Gun Violence Archive reports in less than 10 years, the US has suffered through more than 2500 mass shootings since Sandy Hook.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Biden said “commonsense gun laws” do work, referring to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) which ran from 1994 and expired in 2004.
It prohibited the manufacture for civilian use of some semiautomatic weapons as well as certain ammunition magazines that were defined as large capacity.
“When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled,” Mr Biden said.
Originally published as NRA criticised for holding Texas convention 72 hours after school shooting
Newspoll: Coalition takes lead over Labor
The Coalition now leads Labor on a two-party-preferred basis for the first time since the May 2022 election in a boost for Peter Dutton as Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings hit a new low.
Australia’s new border boss revealed
An Afghanistan veteran and defence intelligence chief has been appointed as the new boss of the Border Force.