Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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From Friday through Sunday, the 2023 National Rifle Association Convention in Indianapolis turned into a proving ground for Republican leaders as presidential hopefuls and upwardly mobile party leaders all took turns reaffirming their commitment to the Second Amendment.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley told convention goers they’d “always have a friend in me” and revealed that she holds a concealed carry license.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not declared himself a presidential candidate but is expected to eventually join the race, pointed to his record of success in widely expanding gun freedoms in the Sunshine State.
“[We’ve] gone on offense to expand individual gun rights,” DeSantis said, pointing to a recently enacted Florida law that allows permitless concealed carry.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who some have tabbed as a potential vice presidential running mate for whoever emerges from the Republican primary, went so far as to sign a pro-gun executive order while giving a speech.
The new order blocks state agencies from contracting with banks that have refused to engage in trade or have ended existing business relationships with firearms-related companies.
“The left and mainstream media will insist that we’re crazy for standing for the Constitution,” Noem tweeted. “But we must never give in. Never, never, never.”
The left and mainstream media will insist that we’re crazy for standing for the Constitution.
But we must never give in. Never, never, never. pic.twitter.com/MBmfLpeueO
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) April 16, 2023
But it was former President Donald Trump who, true to his manner, made the loudest and longest proclamation.
In a multiple-hour speech, Trump pledged to create “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity” if elected in 2024.
The general thrust of this plan would be that, by virtue of a new law or (more likely) executive order, people from less restrictive states would be allowed to carry firearms in gun-control-heavy states so long as the gun owner holds a permit issued from the other state.
“I was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president you’ve ever had in the White House — I think that’s been acknowledged — and with your support, in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the United States,” Trump said Friday.
Trump also advocated for creating a tax credit to help teachers offset the cost of purchasing a firearm and receiving proper training to carry.
Many conservatives have pushed for “hardening” schools so that they become far less appealing to would-be mass shooters. Such measures have been opposed by the left for a host of reasons, not least a belief that more guns in schools would make students less safe.
“It is a scandal and a tragedy that year after year, Democrats in Washington continue to hold commonsense school safety measures hostage to their radical gun control agenda, which, in virtually all cases, would do nothing to prevent attacks by demented and disturbed individuals,” Trump said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence received by far the coolest reception of any speaker. He was booed by the largely pro-Trump crowd as he took the stage.
“I love you, too,” Pence joked before delivering a speech in which he not only defended the rights of gun owners but recommended a nationwide stiffening of penalties against mass shooters.
“I believe the time has come to institute a federal death penalty statute, with accelerated appeal, to ensure that those who engage in mass shootings face execution in months, not years,” Pence said.
For the second consecutive year, the NRA convention came on the heels of a mass shooting, meaning every conservative speaker was faced with reconciling his or her defense of the right to bear arms with the desire of virtually all Americans that the number of mass shootings in the nation decreases dramatically.
Pence’s remarks typified the general consensus among Republican speakers: the root issue is mental health, not guns.
“I’m tired of it,” Pence said.
Tired of the excuses, the predictable blame shifting, the pointless calls for gun control against law abiding Americans. I’m tired of the senseless violence and the loss life that could be prevented if our leaders would support law enforcement, protect our schools, institutionalize the obviously mentally ill and enact legislation to ensure that anyone thinking about these heinous acts of mass shooting knows that they will face justice and face justice swiftly.
Trump, in a rare and possibly coincidental moment of agreement with Pence, said, “This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem, this is a social problem, this is a cultural problem, this is a spiritual problem.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and CEO Vivek Ramaswamy, all Republican presidential hopefuls, also appeared at the convention.