Tipsheet

FAKE News: The NRA Didn’t Ban Guns At Their Annual Event

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 30, 2018 5:30 PM

We’re at this again. The National Rifle Association’s annual meeting is upon us and like allergy season, the news media is saying that the organization banned guns because Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump are attending. The organization’s convention will be held in Dallas, Texas this week. Oh, and you know this is fake news, right? 

Here’s what Politico reported [emphasis mine]

Parkland survivors criticized the National Rifle Association after it banned guns from Vice President Mike Pence’s upcoming speech at the organization’s annual convention later this week.

The NRA posted a disclaimer on the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum event page, saying that due to Pence’s attendance, Secret Service will be responsible for event security. Therefore, “firearms and firearm accessories, knives or weapons of any kind will be prohibited in the forum prior to and during his attendance."

President Donald Trump will also reportedly speak at the convention and firearms will be banned for his portion as well.

Here’s the Associated Press after they tweeted that the NRA banned guns [See Update] [emphasis mine]:

Attendees at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Dallas can carry their firearms — except during the forum where President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence speak Friday.

A White House official said Monday that Trump will attend Friday. Pence had already been slated to speak at Friday’s leadership forum,

The NRA has said on its website that due to Pence’s attendance, the U.S. Secret Service is responsible for security then. It’s standard for the Secret Service to bar firearms from being carried into places visited by the people they protect, regardless of state laws.

So, there you have it. The NRA did not ban guns at the event, but in cases where, you know the president and vice president of the United States are addressing the convention, it’s quite understandable that the Secret Service doesn’t want firearms near them. The Secret Service made this reasonable security measure, not the NRA. Yet, even leaving the Secret Service element aside, the notice about carrying firearms was clearly stated on the website:

During the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, lawfully carried firearms will be permitted in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centerand the Omni Dallas Hotel in accordance with Texas law.  When carrying your firearm remember to follow all federal, state, and local laws.

So, can we drop this idiocy about the NRA banning guns? This isn’t hypocrisy. It’s just another attempt to bash one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations by anti-gun left-wingers. Keep it up, folks. We know there’s an election in November. 

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UPDATE: Kudos to AP for correcting their headline: