Dallas DAY ONE
Dallas,
Texas — Some welcoming banners are out, but the city-wide greeting doesn’t seem
sincere. The National Rifle Association is, once again, making a statement by
holding their Annual Meetings & Exhibits in a city where politicians have
stated-clearly- they’re not welcome.
Last year in Atlanta, Georgia,
a Congressman from Fulton County joined the (cough) dozen or so protesters tell
the NRA to “go home” while thousands of NRA members happily dumped tens of
millions of dollars into the Atlanta economy.
But the political atmosphere’s
even more toxic than last year. Following the Florida shootings, Dallas Mayor
(Pro Tem) Dwaine Carway called for the NRA to move its convention out of
Dallas, saying they would be “met with opposition” if they held the event May
4-6 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.
In fairness, not every member
of the Dallas City Council shared Caraway’s position, but his message was
pointed: don’t come to Dallas.
The NRA’s Andrew Arulanandam
was equally direct in the official NRA response.
“No politician anywhere can
tell the NRA not to come to their city,” he said, “We are already there. Dallas,
like every American city and community, is populated by NRA members. Our member
work in fire stations and police departments. They save lives in local
hospitals and own businesses in communities urban and rural throughout this
country.”
And those NRA members and their
friends will fill the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center for the next
three days for the annual celebration of the Second Amendment. At least it’s my
hope that this year’s meeting sees record-setting attendance.
That sends an important
message: the Second Amendment, despite all the efforts of those who would like
to see it gone, is alive and well. Despite slanted news coverage,
misrepresented facts and outright lies spread about guns and gun owners, a
majority of average Americans don’t see a need to disarm law-abiding
citizens.
In fact, as millions of women
who are the heads of single-parent households become gun owners, it should be
more apparent than ever that all Americans, not just the “desperate clingers”
lampooned by the intellectuals, appreciate the need for personal protection
more today than ever.
As schoolteachers line up for
firearms training while their unions suggest putting buckets of rocks in
classrooms to fend off attacks, it’s apparent that no matter how hard the
narrative to the contrary is pushed, guns are still seen by a majority of
Americans as the solution for violence, not the cause.
So thousands of NRA members
will be here the minute the doors officially open, smiling and eager to hear
from a litany of distinguished speakers, shuffle their way patiently through
packed aisles, or get a glimpse of the latest-and-greatest offerings from the
exhibitors.
Many will stand in long lines
for a few seconds conversation with industry figures. More than a few, me
included, will be saddened by the absence of perennial NRA favorite (and
NRA Board Member) R. Lee Ermey.
Even as we mourn that departed
board member, we’re eagerly waiting to see what happens with an influx of new
Board Members. They include several young females who have some ideas about how
things need to change - and they’re already part of the core of today’s gun
culture.
Their opinions are valuable
because they reflect the face of the changing face of today - and tomorrow’s
shooting community.
Their opinions are important today
- but their influence will shape our world tomorrow.
And as for the Mayor’s “don’t
come” – our waitress at lunch yesterday summed him up for us, “Politician…more
concerned with making noise for voters than improvements for everyone,” she
laughed, “Don’t let his yammering spoil your visit, we’re glad you’re here. And
there’s a lot more of us then there are of them.”
And through it all, we’ll be
working to keep our single promise: we’ll keep you posted.
—Jim
Shepherd
No comments:
Post a Comment