Topline
More than a thousand people—some carrying child-size coffins—as well as several Texas politicians, including Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke, gathered across the street from the National Rifle Association’s annual conference in Houston on Friday to protest gun violence, according to reports, just three days after an 18-year-old opened fire in an elementary school, killing 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
A member of the National Rifle Association and protesters exchange words outside the George R. Brown … [+]
Key Facts
The event was attended by several activist groups, including Black Lives Matter Houston, Indivisible Houston, Moms Demand Action, Texas American Federation of Teachers and March for Our Lives.
O’Rourke told protesters, “The time for us to stop the next mass shooting” is “right now, right here, today.”
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) lamented stalled gun control legislation in Congress and called on the NRA to “cancel itself.”
Videos show a group of children standing on a stage across the street from the site of the NRA conference with photos and names of the Uvalde shooting victims hanging around their necks, with one holding a sign asking, “Am I next?”
Others carried small caskets and held signs as they chanted, “Protect our kids, not guns!”
Former President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) are set to speak at the event, but several politicians and performers canceled their appearances in the aftermath of the shooting, including Governor Greg Abbott (R-Tex.)—who will still appear at the conference virtually—Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R-Tex.), Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) as well as “American Pie” composer and singer Don McLean.
Crucial Quote
“To those who are attending the NRA convention across the street, you are not our enemies. We are not yours. We extend our hands open and unarmed in a gesture of peace and fellowship to welcome you to join us to make sure that this no longer happens in this country,” O’Rourke said in his speech.
Contra
55,000 members were expected to attend the NRA convention, according to Houston First, the government corporation that oversees the George R. Brown Convention Center. The conference is the first annual meeting the NRA has held since the pandemic.
Key Background
Democrats have re-upped calls for gun control measures in the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Texas on Tuesday that left 19 students and two teachers dead. It’s the deadliest school attack since Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, where 20 students and six staff members were shot dead. The manufacturer of the AR-15 used in Tuesday’s deadly shooting, Daniel Defense, backed out of the convention in the aftermath of the shooting, telling Forbes it was too soon to attend after one of its products was “criminally misused.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has asked Cornyn to begin conversations with Democrats, including Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), to come together on bipartisan gun legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also said he will restart efforts to pass stricter gun control laws, but noted Republicans are unlikely to back such efforts. The Houston protests also come two weeks after a shooter in Buffalo killed ten black people in a grocery store in what authorities are investigating as a racially motivated attack.
Further Reading
More Canceled NRA Convention Appearances — Here’s Who’s Going And What To Know (Forbes)
Texas Official: ‘Wrong Decision’ Not To Quickly Breach Uvalde Classroom Where Shooter Was Barricaded (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/05/27/more-than-a-thousand-gather-to-protest-gun-violence-outside-houston-nra-conference-after-uvalde-tragedy/