NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits Kicks Off Friday in Dallas
Visit Industry Members, Attend Classes, Vote for the Board of Directors
The 147th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) begins its four-day run today at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, with exhibits running Friday, May 4 through Sunday, May 6.
More than 80,000 attendees are expected to turn out to visit with over 800 exhibitors from the shooting and hunting industries. The exhibits aren’t the only draw, however, with numerous other events on the schedule, including seminars, banquets, musical performances, the annual meeting of members, and the Leadership Forum featuring speakers such as President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Ted Cruz, Benghazi survivor Mark Geist, Dana Loesch, social media hotshots Diamond & Silk, as well as many others.
The NRAAM is free to all NRA members and their families (including spouses and children under 18 years old), although there are paid ticketed events, so be sure to check the schedule for details of specific events.
To keep track of exhibitors you want to visit, events you want to attend, and more, you can download the official NRAAM mobile app for Android and iOS.
Firearm Policy at NRAAM
A perennial question surrounding the NRA show is whether or not attendees can carry their personal firearms at the show, either openly or concealed. The NRAAM website states that “During the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, lawfully carried firearms will be permitted in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and the Omni Dallas Hotel in accordance with Texas law. When carrying your firearm remember to follow all federal, state, and local laws.”
So, yes, you can carry your firearm, BUT… Due to the attendance POTUS and VPOTUS at the NRA-ILA Leadership Conference, the U.S. Secret Service will be responsible for event security at this portion of the event in the Arena at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. As such, firearms and firearm accessories, knives or weapons of any kind will be prohibited in the Forum prior to and during his attendance. For more details, check out the Secret Service notice.
Voting for the 76th Seat on the NRA Board of Directors – Support Adam Kraut
The NRA has taken some well-deserved flak recently for supporting certain measures and failing to speak up on certain other issues which are very important to the Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Because of this, many have abandoned the organization. We do not agree with this approach. Compromise is nothing new in this organization, and it is the result of a festering malignancy of board members who ostensibly support gun rights while failing to act in any meaningful way to actually protect them
Each year, voting members (those with 5+ years of consecutive membership or fully-paid Life+ members) have the opportunity to vote in (or out) a third of the board of directors (BoD) with any given member facing re-election every three years. For whatever reason, the membership as a whole has failed to install ardent gun rights supporters. One such prospective board member and ardent RKBA advocate, Adam Kraut, unfortunately did not make it through the general election process for the NRA BoD.
However, all NRA members whose dues were fully paid as of March 16th and are US citizens 18 or older have the right to vote for the 76th Director in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of Members. The GunLink team (still) endorses Adam Kraut for the NRA Board of Directors and urges anyone attending to support him in his continuing endeavor to fight for our rights from within ‘America’s Longest-Standing Civil Rights Organization.’
Check out some of what Adam has already been up to in an effort to change the NRA for the better even before making it to the board.
