Category: NRA Convention

Sorry for the lack of updates on the NRA Annual Meeting. This has been one of the busier meetings for us, and I’ve probably spent a grand total of five minutes wandering around the exhibit hall until this afternoon. I’ve been going around with Dan Pehrson of PAFOA doing some relationship building.

Yesterday Dan and I were lucky enough to score an invite to a reception that had a high likelihood of featuring a number of lawmakers. We were pleased to be able to spend some time talking to PA Senator Richard Alloway about Castle Doctrine, along with NRA’s Pennsylvania Liaison John Hohenwarter. I think we should have Castle Doctrine soon, and Alloway has been a real leader on this issue for us in the Senate.

Spent a good deal of time talking to NRA’s Illinois lobbyist Todd Vandermyde. For those of you who haven’t ever met Todd, he’s a fun guy to talk to, and has a through knowledge of how to play this game. Illinois gun owners are lucky to have him. I told Todd I keep expecting to wake up, and talk bout the crazy dream I had where we were actually getting close to passing concealed carry in Illinois. This is something I would have said had a snowflake’s chance in hell a few years ago.

This morning we had nice breakfast session with Tom King, President of the NY State Rifle and Pistol association, and David Keene, who tomorrow will become the next NRA President. Jim Porter, who also stopped by briefly, will become First Vice President, next in line for President. Keene was also ACU Chairman, and took a lot of heat from conservative groups for including GOProud at CPAC. I think that was a smart move, and given that Keene is keen on using his term as President to recruit younger members, and women members, into NRA, I think he brings a lot to the table in that regard.

It would seem the Tribune-Review felt some heat from Eric Heyl’s column last week, and they opted to run a couple of the responses. One from a Delaware woman who states that she’s a pistol instructor:

I disagree with Eric Heyl’s column “NRA effort to attract women off target.” The NRA seems to be trying to “attract” women already involved in shooting sports to become instructors.

I am of both “worlds” — an NRA member and pistol instructor, and a facials-and-pedicures woman. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

Heyl writes that to most women, a pistol-instructor seminar “probably wouldn’t have the same appeal as, say, a holistic facial at the day spa.” I’m sure “most” women also expect someone else to save them from a mugger, rapist, burglar or other bad guy. Unfortunately, the NRA will appeal to women more independent in their assertions of safety and security.

It’s pretty insulting to insinuate that women would choose helplessness over the right shade of lipstick or a spa treatment.

Being of “both ‘worlds'” is something that applies to most of the NRA women I know. Heyl inspired another response by a different female pistol instructor from Pennsylvania:

Contrary to the assertions by Eric Heyl in his column “NRA effort to attract women off target,” Pennsylvania women are capable of making informed decisions on gun ownership, political activism and participation in the shooting sports.

As a woman headed to the Pittsburgh NRA event this week, I plan to shatter the misogynistic view he takes toward females who might be spotted there. Rather than worrying about lipstick colors and compacts in my purse, I’ll peruse more than 4 acres of handguns and self-defense gear. Instead of fretting over the price of a trip to the spa, I’ll spend hard-earned dollars at the Friends of NRA dinner or women’s luncheon in support of the hunting and shooting programs.

While Heyl might be concerned that too many firearms accessories come only in black, I’ll talk to manufacturers that recognize women as one of the fastest-growing groups currently purchasing firearms.

I’m not quite sure how a column that so openly mocks women who make independent choices beyond what shoes to buy was published in any newspaper in 2011, but I am sure that I’ll be just one of thousands of women at the NRA annual meeting.

Two different types of responses, but very much in opposition to Heyl’s column. I never found a single letter published in support of Heyl’s column. I’m curious to know if any were ever sent.

Thanks to Cam Edwards and the crew at NRA News for heading over to Primanti Brothers and making things right with the late situation in regards to appearing to endorse Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns. I still think they handled this poorly, but I’m willing to forgive and put this behind us.

The actual Annual Meeting has started. This event is the reason this whole dog and pony show. For those of you who are here, the person the powers that be are pushing for 76th board member is Joel Friedman. I agree with this choice. Joel brings a lot of skills to the board, and is on several important committees. We lost a lot of good people this round because of the number of celebrity board members on the ballot. If you’re here, Joel could use your support. You can vote until 4PM.

I’m at the NRA law seminar, waiting for it to get started. Too early for me, and I’m mildly hung over. Unfortunately missed SayUncle last night. One bad thing about Pittsburgh is none of the hotels are close to each other, and Uncle’s is four and a half miles from mine.

Speakers today you may know are Dave Hardy, Stephen Halbrook, Glenn Reynolds, Dave Kopel, Stefan Tahmasseibi, and PA Supreme Court Justice Seamus P. McCaffery.

I’ll be tweeting updates during the day. My twitter feed is here

We’re on our way to the NRA Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. Busy agenda this time, with a few drinking events tonight, and tomorrow all day is the NRA Law Seminar. I will do my best to report on what happens at the seminar.

I had a reporter contact me yesterday, but due to a communications mix-up with my co-blogger, which resulted in a, “I thought you were going to contact him,” “No, I pasted that blurb for you for you to send, not me,” conversation late yesterday, we never got back to him. Such things happen.

It looks like the reporter got the story on Sandwichgate (thanks to Cam or that name) out regardless. I should note that I never called for a boycott. Boycotts are something you organize, and I don’t have time for that at Annual Meeting. The NRA dumps a lot of money into a city when it comes to town, much of it on food. If there’s an establishment that’s supporting our opponents, I want people to be aware of it. What action they take from there is up to them.

I think this was a case employees trying accommodating an energetic, good looking young man that came into their shop sporting a cause. I doubt the employees thought much about the fact that they were making their company appear to insert itself into a controversial debate on public policy. Regardless, I think Primanti Bros has largely handled the situation poorly, as has been outlined by Bitter here. In my view the most damning accusation is selectively banning people from their Facebook page.

First rule of good PR is when you find yourself in a hole, to stop digging. They spent at least part of yesterday actively heaving dirt over their heads. I am pleased Primanti Bros has agreed to host NRA News cameras, and wear an NRA shirt. This will hopefully put this situation behind us.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the NRA Annual Meeting:

The convention is attended by a good number of families, and the exhibit areas are designed to be safe for children — the guns on display are disabled, no live ammunition is exhibited (canine sweeps will check daily for gunpowder), and attendees carrying weapons are barred from unholstering them. Manufacturers will be showing off their latest models, but firearms will not be on sale on-site as they would be at a gun show.

Gunpowder sniffing dogs in a room full of gun nuts? Those dogs are going to be acting like a hippy in a field of ganga. I’m going to bet they mean explosive sniffing dogs, and someone drew some conclusions. But I’m going to guess that the dogs aren’t present to root out live ammunition. My understanding is the primary safety precaution for guns on the floor is that their firing pins have been removed.