ATLANTA — Among the tens of thousands of people who took part in the National Rifle Association convention here, women were an obvious minority.
The thing that seemed to unite them was an overwhelming enthusiasm for President Trump.
“Look at what he’s putting his family through for us,” said Anne Jansen, an artist selling jewelry handcrafted out of bullet casings and shotgun shells.
“It’s for us. Right? He’s doing nothing but things for us. . . . To the resistance, it’s like, follow him. Take a chance. Follow him. He’s your leader. Are you an idiot?”
Jansen had never voted for president before supporting Trump in November. At 53, the self-proclaimed bohemian from Quincy, Ill., had only cast a ballot once before in her life, when she wrote in Mickey Mouse for president.
That was 10 or 15 years ago. Now, from her booth on the vast NRA exhibition floor, Jansen laments she can’t take a break to see Trump speak.
“I’ve always liked him,” she said. “Just knowing he’s here makes me feel good.”
Trump’s presence at the NRA convention Friday electrified the mostly male, mostly white crowd. But his choice to become the first sitting president to speak here since Ronald Reagan seemed to have special meaning for the women in attendance, from political junkies to gun enthusiasts to saleswomen.
They couldn’t be happier with Trump, these women said in nearly two-dozen interviews. Even if they felt uncomfortable at first with the president’s attitude toward women after a race in which he was accused of being a sexual predator — even if they didn’t support him in the GOP primary, they’ve spent the past 100 days developing a profound sense of loyalty to him.
Can I just say GROAN!!???
Thanks for defending flag and freedom? Like people who aren’t NRA members don’t defend the flag and freedom? Oy Vey!!!
“Just knowing he’s here makes me feel good.” This must not be the same Donald Trump I have seen on TV.
Please someone, tell me what he has done for these people? Just name me one thing,
When I learned to hunt I took a gun safety class from the NRA. Then sometime later the NRA decided that moving product would be their mission. They became the stooges of the firearms industry. I dropped my membership.
My parents were always members. They enjoyed long guns and the sports that went along with long guns. The NRA mag. was always out in full view. Somewhere along the line, things changed. The NRA stopped being wholesome. It became political. I would say about the time the Ronald Reagan came into office. Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps my memory has big gaps in it.
“The NRA stopped being wholesome. It became political. I would say about the time the Ronald Reagan came into office. Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps my memory has big gaps in it.”
I wouldn’t say that your memory is at fault. More likely, it is that you have an incomplete understanding as to how and why the NRA was established. It has always been “political”, being founded by former Union generals to 1) ensure the 2nd Amendment rights of recently freed Blacks would be protected, and 2) to correct the deficiencies noted during the Civil War, where many northern recruits showed up with little to no familiarity firearms, which is a requirement when the nation relies on small standing armies, drawing on the “general unorganized militia” for manpower during times of emergency.
The NRA became more politically active in reaction to the continued erosion of individual firearms freedoms, especially after the enactment of the firearms act of 1968.
The firearms act of 1968 was passed, because the National Firearms act of 1934 was struck down by SCOTUS, as “Unconstitutional”. Oddly, the NRA did not oppose the 1934 act, because they had been assured that this would be the last Federal and only firearms regulation that the Feds would pass, but this was not the case. So the NRA learned its lesson, and opposed the 1968 act. This is when they became “active” in the traditional sense.
As far as Trump attending the convention, and skipping the Whitehouse Press Corps dinner, it’s a simple matter of a President speaking to his base, a friendly crowd. No different than our former President speaking to the Whitehouse Press Corps, and never attending the NRA convention.
I am a proud NRA Life Member, and they are doing exactly what what I expect them to do: Advocate for the expansion of, and the protection of my 2nd Amendment rights.
“Please someone, tell me what he has done for these people? Just name me one thing,”
He nominated a pro-2nd Amendment candidate for the SCOTUS. That’s a YUGE thing. And, he rescinded pretty much every Obama executive order regarding firearms. Oh, and his BATF is reissuing advisories and regulations that are much less restrictive than those of Obama’s BATF. Arbitrary bans on the re-importation of certain “Curio & Relic” firearms, such as Korean War era M1 rifles have been lifted. To the pro-2A crowd, he’s done (or undone) quite a bit.