An estimated 70,000 people are expected to attend the annual convention this weekend in downtown Dallas. Former President Trump is set to speak Saturday.
DALLAS — The crowded floor of the National Rifle Association annual meeting Friday gave no indication of the leadership turmoil at the top of the country’s most well-known gun rights organization.
Tens of thousands of people were expected to attend the convention this weekend in downtown Dallas, where more than 650 vendors took up 14 acres with displays of rifles, revolvers, ammunition and more.
“You’re going to see a lot of people who have likeminded ideas and it makes it kind of a nice environment to be in,” said Lesa Bice, a lifetime NRA member who traveled from Tulsa, Okla.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to speak at the convention once again this year — and gun violence prevention groups plan a rally outside ahead of his remarks.
“For a long time, the National Rifle Association has essentially shielded the gun industry from accountability,” said Miriam Sharma, who co-leads the Dallas chapter of the group Moms Demand Action.
Her group pushes for gun safety legislation.
“It’s really not about anyone’s freedom, it’s purely about safety,” she said.
Sharma said the protestors plan to display hundreds of T-shirts with the names of gun violence victims from Dallas County outside City Hall, adjacent to the convention center.
“My hope is that they would see maybe a T-shirt with the name of somebody that’s died by gun violence and feel a moment of empathy,” Sharma said.
This year’s annual meeting is the first in decades for the NRA without Wayne LaPierre leading the organization. The longtime CEO stepped down earlier this year shortly before a jury found he misspent millions of the group’s dollars to fund his own extravagant lifestyle.
A board of directors meeting on Monday is expected to include elections of LaPierre’s replacement and other officers.
The scandal did not deter Caleb Secrest from becoming a member of the organization in the past year. He traveled from Southeastern Kansas to attend his first NRA meeting this weekend.
“I’ve never seen anything to this scale before so it’s pretty cool to walk around and see all the booths,” Secrest said, adding that he may purchase a firearm at some point over the weekend.
He said the planned rally outside the event didn’t phase him. “I think it’s good to hear from both sides and see what both sides think,” he said.
“Ultimately you have to compromise to make an ultimate goal. They have the right to protest, but I think they should also hear us out, too,” Secrest said.
Conversation and the potential for cooperation are Sharma’s goals too.
“Let’s sit down at the table together and make progress,” she said. “We can make change.”