Just imagine if the mainstream media reported this scene straight.
Hall A at the Indiana Convention Center was filled with thousands of members of the NRA all waiting for the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum to begin. Some had waited for hours to get in to the hall. They’d stood in lines that stretched down the main corridor in the Indiana Convention Center until they were allowed to file in. And so, with the event about to begin, the audience had all the exuberance of a passionate crowd at a presidential rally combined with a Kid Rock concert.
“They told me I’d get to shoot a cannon, but I did not know it would be a t-shirt cannon,” Charles Cotton, president of the NRA, quipped after he helped to shoot and toss blue NRA t-shirts into the crowd of thousands of NRA members, a huge segment of the American citizenry that the national mainstream media would rather disparage, talk down to and parody than to actually speak with and attempt to understand.
Indeed, quite a few of the speakers at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum said as much. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), Rep. Jim Jordan (R), former President Donald J. Trump (R) and others pointed to the media members who were in the center of the auditorium behind and beside television cameras and—to wild applause—noted that our national scribes have a tendency to shape anti-Second Amendment narratives instead of trying to report a true story.
So, to hear and see what really took place, click here to watch the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on YouTube. All of these fiery speeches are worth hearing. For a taste, here are a few quotes from some of the speakers.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA: “You men and women of the NRA you fight like hell for freedom and you get more of it… . You don’t need the government to tell you that you have the God-given right to self-defense ... .”
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R): “My wife hosted the NRA Leadership Forum Luncheon; for the record, we are both NRA Lifetime Members, but she is the certified pistol instructor who hunts wild boar while hanging from a helicopter … .”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R): “There are some today who see the Second Amendment as a bygone remanent … they want criminals to have the upper hand over law-abiding citizens. … Like we do with other issues in Florida, we’ve gone on offense to expand individual gun rights; I’ve called on the legislature … and we delivered: Earlier this month I signed constitutional carry legislation.”
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R): I am a concealed permit holder myself … you always have a friend in me … .”
Sen. Tim Scott (R): “I am excited to have an A rating from the NRA.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R): “There is a lot of diversity in the NRA. I may be a mom and a grandma, but I am the NRA. … I think the American people could learn a thing or two from the NRA—this is not a group of people who give up their rights.”
Gov. Noem then asked Wayne LaPierre to come back onto the stage so she could sign an executive order to stop financial institutions from discriminating against gun manufacturers and dealers.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R): “They passed a red flag law and I gave them a red veto pen … they told me maybe we could do constitutional carry in four years; I did it in four weeks.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio): “It is crazy that the ATF wants to make you a criminal if you have a stabilizing brace for your pistol. … They want to shut down places where you can buy a firearm. If you believe in the Second Amendment they’ll call you some MAGA hillbilly … so I just came to say thank you. …”
Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author: “I came here to tell you why I became a gun owner. I grew up in an anti-gun household. The reason I became a gun owner is that the Second Amendment is made for moments like today. AR-15 stands for freedom … the Second Amendment gives teeth to the rest of the Constitution. …”
Former President Donald J. Trump (R): “I promised I would save your Second Amendment, but we’re going to save it for a long time to come … with your support I will be your loyal champion once again. … They want to take away your guns while letting bloodthirsty criminals in your communities. … with me at 1600 no one will lay a finger on your firearms. …”
