Courthouse News by KAYLA GOGGIN April 27, 2017
ATLANTA (CN) — President Donald Trump will address the National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta on Friday, a rare appearance by a sitting president that underscores the significant role the gun rights group played in his election.
Over 80,000 people are expected to attend the National Rifle Association’s 146th annual meeting in downtown Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center Thursday through Sunday. And while the event features a 10-acre exhibition of firearms and hunting gear, the main attraction is Friday’s Leadership Forum, where President Donald Trump will deliver a keynote address.
The president is expected to speak shortly after noon on Friday. Other scheduled speakers include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Georgia Sen. David Perdue, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre.
President Trump is the first sitting president since Ronald Reagan to speak at an NRA convention — a milestone that is surely not a coincidence given the president’s strong financial ties to the organization. During Trump’s campaign for president, the NRA spent more than three times as much money to generate support for him than it spent during Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2012. The organization spent $4.8 million on ad spots during the 2012 election cycle compared to $16.1 million in 2016.
Overall, the NRA spent $30.3 million to help get Trump elected.
During his campaign, Trump promised to “save the second amendment.” He has repeatedly identified himself as an opponent of gun control and has specifically stated that he does not support a ban on assault weapons.
Now, the NRA appears hopeful that the president will help push through legislation that would further reduce the federal restrictions on firearms. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son, recently put his support behind a bill–cunningly named “the Hearing Protection Act”–that would reduce wait times for gun silencers and make them easier to purchase.
More:
https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-speak-friday-nra-annual-meeting/
