Wednesday, May 9, 2018

What Happened in Dallas?

I am starting to do a somewhat more informal version of my old Shotgun News column: little bits of news and commentary for Gun Shows TodayShotgun News paid me.  Hopefully this venture will at least get me some more blog readers. 

There were 87,000 attendees at the NRA Annual Meeting.  The local news covered the anti-NRA demonstrations, none of them near the Convention Center, which seemed to be at most a few dozen people (and they wonder why they keep losing).  The only anti-NRA material I saw was a giant sign truck with a picture of Putin saying something to Wayne LaPierre in Russian with a translation claiming Putin had NRA put Trump in office.  Everytown for Gun Safety was taking credit for what may be the least effective political ad in recent times.  If you want to persuade NRA members, "Everytown for Gun Safety," immediately discredits the ad.  Anyone who is paying attention knows Trump has given the Russians several recent black eyes.  A lot of wasted money;   Who else was this to persuade?  The businesses awash in NRA members?  I hope the truck was running on biodiesel for the good of Mother Earth.

The Firearms Law Seminar is an NRA-sponsored CLE for lawyers.  If you need CLE units to keep your license current would you rather go to one in your specialty (probate law, contract law, and what even more boring of a speciality?) or one that interests you, like gun law?

I was the lunch speaker.  This means you are competing with clinking utensils, dishes, and "Please pass the butter."  I was nervous beyond belief, because I am still battling with the throat and brain not communicating properly.  There were perhaps 200+ people in the room.  I managed to overwhelm the clinking of utensils because I am such an interesting speaker! :-)

I had no problem holding their attention with the images I chose including this one:


The entire presentation is here.  I was told by one of the organizers that I was the best lunch speaker ever.  As a result, I had trouble squeezing my swollen head through the plane door to return to Boise. I had sent 15 copies of Lock, Stock, and Barrel to sell just above my cost of $35.  My wife said there was a long line of disappointed people.  Next time, 50 copies.  I autographed number of copies, including a copy for Dick Heller of D.C. v. Heller (2008).

I have never been to an NRA Annual Meeting before.  Think of the Big Reno Gun Show but much bigger and more crowded, with very little you could buy and take home.  I did get a chance to look at Colt's bright stainless Government Model.  I am tempted to have Colt redo mine in bright stainless.  Not  very useful for a carry gun burt gorgeous.

1 comment:

  1. I also found the forum interesting and worth the train ride to Dallas. I am planning to send you a USB drive with a power point I put together for a history talk. Or should I say a talk on history that didn't occur, but you will find it in various books.

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