The first event of the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits, held in Phoenix, Arizona, was the Grassroots Workshop put on by the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) at the Sheraton. The grassroots activists were seated by state, so that they could begin networking with other politically active members.
The workshop started with a rousing speech by Dick Heller of the Heller vs. D.C. Supreme Court case. Mr. Heller made history recently when he won his case and the Supreme Court, for the first time ever, affirmed that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. Mr. Heller continues to fight for gun rights and encouraged attendees to fight for their rights by recruiting new NRA members and actively supporting political candidates who support gun rights.
The Powerful Gun Lobby (Voters)
The grassroots attendees are what the media and anti-gun activists refer to as “the powerful gun lobby.” Looking around the room, it was obvious that the media’s bogeyman was a room filled with 375 average, politically conscious, neighborhood housewives, fathers, sons and daughters – all ordinary Americans.
Various NRA staff gave moving speeches and highlighted current legislative initiatives that either help protect the rights of gun owners, or threaten those rights. President Obama was praised several times for his stimulus of the gun industry and bolstering the NRA’s membership roster.
I'm a bitter gun owner and I vote.
Attendees at the workshop were encouraged to write, or call, their congressmen in opposition or support of gun related legislation. The get-out-the-vote message was also very clear. The message – encourage other gun owners to register to vote, vote in all available elections, and to join the NRA. Attendees were encouraged to exercise their rights to speak out, to peacefully assemble, to petition our government, to vote, and to keep and bear arms. American exceptionalism at its finest! We live in the only country in the world where these rights are enshrined. The NRA wants people to exercise all of their rights in order to protect their freedoms and insure liberty for all.
For additional information on legislative issues, or how you can become involved, please go to the NRA-ILA webpage.
