WASHINGTON

- The annual conference of the 151st Annual Meetings of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest lobbying organization defending the interests of US firearms companies, begins today in Houston, Texas.

The association did not heed calls to postpone its annual conference, which came less than 3 days after the mass killing of an elementary school in Ovaldi, 280 kilometers from Houston, during which an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers.

Over the course of three days, senior Republican politicians will scramble to defend Americans' right to bear arms, and they will attack all efforts to put controls on gun purchases, including lethal offensive weapons such as automatic rifles.

Former President Donald Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and State Senator Ted Cruz, in addition to hundreds of other politicians, are expected to speak before the conference - which 17,000 people are expected to participate in.

The annual conference comes at a time when the National Rifle Association is subject to significant media scrutiny following the elementary school incident, and the association condemned the shooting incident in a statement, describing it as a "horrific and vicious crime."


stance and defense

"While the investigation is ongoing and not all of the facts have emerged, we are aware that this was the act of a criminal and dysfunctional individual," the organization said. "As we gather in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools safe."

The association vigorously defends gun rights and is also staunchly opposed to gun control laws, and the organization extensively studies the use of firearms and conducts several educational programs.

The Ovaldi school accident left 21 dead, including 19 children (Al-Jazeera)

huge conference

More than 80,000 people are expected to participate in the conference - which ends next Sunday, which is approximately the number that participated in the last conference of the Association in 2019 before the closures of the emerging corona virus (Covid-19).

In addition to the annual conference in Houston, the National Rifle Association held its annual outdoor gun fair in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and more than 165,000 people attended over its nine days.

On an area of ​​approximately 14 acres, the National Rifle Association will showcase - over the course of the three days - the latest rifles and equipment from the most popular companies in the firearms industry. The conference schedule includes many entertainment programs that attract all family members, in an environment that celebrates the right to own and bear firearms, Highlighting the importance of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

The conference activities highlight the membership of more than 5 million Americans in the association, and focus on the celebrity list that includes many former American presidents, including Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, George Bush Senior, Dwight Eisenhower, in addition to Donald Trump.

The annual conference includes many workshops and seminars, and attracts many celebrities. It also includes huge showrooms for selling the latest firearms and various ammunitions.

The annual conference of the National Rifle Association is "one of the most important and politically popular events in the country," the association said in a statement.

The recent school incident sparked a new controversy over gun possession (Reuters)

keynote speaker

Former President Trump, who maintained a close relationship with the gun lobby throughout his presidency, will speak.

This is the fifth time in a row that Trump has spoken at the annual conference of the association.

In view of Trump's participation, and for fear of any angry repercussions due to the elementary school incident, the secret protection authority will supervise the security of the conference halls, and participants will be prohibited from carrying firearms, "accessories" or white weapons of all kinds.

The conference highlights the broad influence of the National Rifle Association;

In 2020, the association spent about $250 million annually—far more than all gun control calls in the country combined—on its education and education programs for the right to bear arms.

The value of annual membership in the association for individuals is $45 and $15 for youth, the value of lifetime membership for adults is $1,500, and for youth is $550. There are more than 5 million members in the association, in addition to more than one million young men and women, as the association’s official website states.

The association is working on many programs and initiatives to attract more believers in the right to bear arms from women and racial and ethnic minorities, especially African blacks, Hispanics and Asians.

The value of membership only guarantees an annual income of the Association of at least $ 250 million annually, in addition to donations and support for firearms manufacturers, which are estimated annually in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Texas accident left grief and shock (Reuters)

anti demonstrations

It is expected that the city of Houston will witness a lot of huge demonstrations against the city's hosting of the annual conference of the League, and the number of demonstrators will double the state of widespread anger in the state due to the shooting incident in the city of Ovaldi.

The lobbying efforts by organizations hostile to the National Rifle Association demanding tighter restrictions on the purchase of weapons did not succeed in canceling or postponing the NRA conference at this time.

The Houston First Corporation (a public-private partnership, which operates the main convention center in Houston) confirmed that canceling the conference entirely is out of the question.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also rejected calls to cancel the city's hosting of the Gun League conference, telling a local radio that "there has been a contract to host the conference here for more than two years, it is a large and complicated arrangement, and we cannot simply cancel a conference because we do not agree with its topic."