“When you fight like hell for freedom, you get more of it.”, Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President
On April 14, thousands of NRA members packed into Hall A of the Indiana Convention Center to attend the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum—one of the most popular events held each year at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits—where they heard from a long list of speakers who are dedicated to defending the Second Amendment.
Not only did the attendees—a standing-room-only crowd—hear from NRA leaders like Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and President Charles Cotton, but they also heard from numerous elected officials and pro-gun candidates for President of the United States. Each speaker brought his or her own message of support for our right to keep and bear arms, and support for the dedicated members of NRA who fight, every day, to protect freedom.
Indiana elected officials who spoke were Gov. Eric Holcomb and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, as well as former Indiana governor and former Vice President Mike Pence. House Judiciary Chair and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan came from the neighboring state of Ohio. And the long list of declared and possible candidates for president who spoke or sent a video message included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, American business leader and bestselling author Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, and, of course, former President Donald Trump.
Gov. Noem didn’t just give a well-received speech, but she put an exclamation point on it when she invited Wayne LaPierre back to the stage to witness her signing of an executive order. Gov. Noem stated the order would protect “those industries related to the gun and firearm industry from being discriminated against by financial institutions—banking, credit card or otherwise.”
The general themes of the speeches included praise for NRA members’ ever-vigilant defense of the Second Amendment, thanks for supporting candidates who share in the goal of preserving our freedom and calls to work on ensuring success in the upcoming 2024 elections.
You can watch the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum by using the QR code at left or by visiting the official NRA YouTube channel.
