Parkland Survivors Call Out NRA for Banning Guns at Convention

Vice President Mike Pence will be speaking at an upcoming National Rifle Association convention in Dallas, and guns will be banned during his appearance to protect his safety.

According to the event page on the NRA’s website, the U.S. Secret service will be in charge of security at the event, and firearms, firearm accessories, and weapons of any kind are prohibited before and during his attendance. Survivors of the Parkland school shooting in Florida were quick to call out the NRA.

Cameron Kasky, the founder of the March for Our Lives movement, posted a photo on Twitter of the NRA notice outlining the rule against firearms during the convention and called the NRA a “hilarious parody of itself.”

Matt Dietsch, the Chief Strategist for March for Our Lives, made a comment on Twitter as well. “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?” Dietsch wrote.

Fred Guttenberg, the father of 14-year-old Parkland victim Jaime Guttenburg, also had something to say about the convention gun ban. “I thought giving everyone a gun was to enhance safety,” Guttenberg wrote on Twitter. “Am I missing something?”

The criticism likely stems from an idea pushed by NRA’s chief executive Wayne LaPierre: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” The NRA also urges more guns in schools and suggests that teachers should be armed.

Some argue that the decision is the protocol by the Secret Service and not hypocrisy on the NRA’s part. Some even take it as a stab against the Vice President.

Author:
Arianna is College Media Network's Weekend Editor and a student at Penn State University. She has written for various websites, including Thought Catalog and The Odyssey Online. Arianna also runs her own blog called Yoga With Mimosas in which she combines her passion for fitness and writing in hopes of inspiring and empowering others through her work.