This month, tens of thousands of Americans from every state will travel to the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. We’ll be celebrating our Second Amendment freedom in Atlanta, Ga., from April 24-27 (go to nraam.org for all the details on speakers, concerts and other attractions).
I bring this up because the NRA Annual Meetings is a show like no other and members of this association have surely earned the right to celebrate, but I am also mentioning it to make a few vital points about the nature and future of this critical civil-rights association.
First, we cannot forget that the NRA is a grassroots association. Our millions of members live in every state and city across this great nation. When you work near our nation’s capital, as I do, you realize it is an important distinction that the NRA is not an inside-the-beltway group; rather, it is grassroots. This is literally true, as the NRA headquarters, including the NRA National Firearms Museum, is in Fairfax, Va., which is outside the beltway’s (I-495) 10 lanes that wrap around Washington, D.C. And it is figuratively true, as the NRA is resolutely focused on American freedom.
We, of course, have a lobbying office on Capitol Hill, which is well inside the beltway. But our influence, our funding and our perspective are from America, not from or for the interests of the so-called ruling class.
It is important that we keep this distinction in sight. We defend a basic human right that is specifically protected within the U.S. Bill of Rights for we the people, not just for the special few. We do this so effectively because of our large and diverse membership. We make a difference in local, state and national elections because we don’t just represent one class or category of citizen. We represent America.
Still, our headquarters is not far from Capitol Hill. Our location in Virginia has been beneficial to our continued defense and promotion of this constitutionally protected right. This is one reason why I have recently supported keeping the NRA in Virginia.
With this in mind, I have been traveling around the nation to tell our story and to bring the NRA family back together. I was recently in Atlanta for fundraising events leading up to our upcoming Annual Meetings. Following that, I attended three days of inaugural festivities for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, including the Starlight Ball where I had the opportunity to meet several new cabinet appointees in the Trump administration. In my conversations, they mentioned the “shout out” the NRA received from President Trump at the Make America Great Again Victory Rally. In doing so, they were acknowledging that the NRA is a fundamental part of what makes America great.
From there, I traveled to Las Vegas for the SHOT Show and met with the leadership of the firearm industry. These conversations were a great opportunity to communicate the positive changes happening within our association.
Next, I went to Nashville, Tenn., to attend the Safari Club International show. And, finally, I made it to a Friends of NRA dinner in Harrisburg, Pa., in conjunction with our huge Great American Outdoor Show.
I mention these events because one consistent theme I’ve found throughout these travels and meetings has been optimism, engagement and enthusiasm from our members, from the firearm industry and from the new administration. With the steadfast support of a majority of members of our Board of Directors, we are moving forward with energy and purpose.
To keep our grassroots strength strong, membership recruitment is and must be our No. 1 objective. We all need to help recruit new members to this great cause. It is critical that we maintain this positive momentum. We have an optimistic yet realistic budget in front of us, and together, we can continue to achieve great success in rebuilding our historic association. American freedom depends on it.
To bring this full circle, I want to point out that the Trump administration officials I met—as well as all the ones I have heard speak—don’t seem to be infected with inside-the-beltway thinking. They’re thinking about America, about our safety and freedom—not about empowering the connected. They are putting America first, not Washington insiders first. This is also representative of the nature of this association. We protect a critical freedom. I think this is why the NRA has always had a strong relationship with President Trump. We are America. We are part of her spirit. We understand, enjoy and advocate for the freedom Lady Liberty has long symbolized.
When we are in step with this freedom, it revitalizes us by bringing us all together in a celebration literally and figuratively. It makes America safer. It keeps our freedom breathing. So, I hope to see you this month in Atlanta in celebration with so many others at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits.
