Vice President Mike Pence addresses a dinner at the 2018 House & Senate Republican Member Conference. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Vice President Mike Pence addresses a dinner at the 2018 House & Senate Republican Member Conference. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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When Vice President Mike Pence makes an appearance at an upcoming National Rifle Association convention in Dallas this week, one thing that will not be there are guns.
Yes, to protect his safety, the NRA — who has fought to arm teachers and wants to get rid of gun-free school zones — is banning guns from the Pence event. The move is, of course, prompted by the Secret Service.
Earlier this week, the NRA suggested that the Waffle House shooting, which an unarmed James Shaw prevented from being worse, could’ve been stopped immediately if he had a gun. The organization is known for a lot of tough talk mixed with hypocrisy.
However, the news of the ban has prompted a stunned response from survivors of the Parkland shooting, along with their supporters. Parkland survivors have been subjected to taunts and threats from NRA members as well as the group’s spokeswoman Dana Loesch since the Valentine’s Day shooting.
Survivors of the Parkland shooting took to Twitter to wonder aloud why the gun group would agree to these restrictions but not those that protect children from school shooting.
Matt Deitsch, one of the organizers of the March for Our Lives:
Wait wait wait wait wait wait you’re telling me to make the VP safe there aren’t any weapons around but when it comes to children they want guns everywhere? Can someone explain this to me? Because it sounds like the NRA wants to protect people who help them sell guns, not kids.
Fred Guttenberg, father of 14-year-old Parkland victim Jaime Guttenberg:
On so many levels, this is enlightening. According to the NRA, we should want everyone to have weapons when we are in public. But when they put on a convention, the weapons are a concern? I thought giving everyone a gun was to enhance safety. Am I missing something? https://t.co/f4wgNhJ7RI
The ban also says that “there will be no storage for firearms,” and Knife Rights, a knife advocacy group, will provide “complimentary storage” for knives at the event.
