The Real News From The Annual Meetings

While taking a break in the pressroom during the recent NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in St. Louis, I overheard some members of the press lamenting the fact that they couldn't find a good protest to cover.

One mentioned he had walked several blocks attempting to find a planned protest, but never found it. Another mentioned that she, too, had walked all the way around outside the convention center in hopes of running across protesters, but she, too, had come up empty-handed.

They looked demoralized. Their quest for the Holy Grail of the NRA meeting­ rabid anti-gunners vehemently protesting the hated "gun lobby" -had ended in failure.

Their conversation conveyed what the bulk of the mainstream media see as "news" at any NRA function. They look for controversy. They look for someone to say how out of touch the NRA is. They seek those who will put the worst spin possible on our organization, all in the name of so-called "news:'

During the two hours they had spent lugging cameras around looking for protesters, I had found the true story of the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits-the same story I have witnessed at each Annual Meetings since my first a dozen years ago.

I had seen the bright eyes of a 4-year-old riding on his grandfather's shoulders out of the NRAStore with his new NRA ball cap in hand. I had seen an attractive young lady pushing her 6-month-old twins in a double stroller up and down the aisles of guns and gear. I had seen a fatigue-clad soldier with his two young sons visiting the air gun range

While members of the media sit in the pressroom and talk of "reasonable gun laws," or traipse around the building looking for protests, NRA members of all ages are enjoying a wholesome celebration of American values.

to learn a little more about shooting and safety. I had seen a 95-year-old Life member­ he actually joined the Association before most America's 1St Freedom readers were born-receive well-deserved recognition at the Annual Meeting of Members.

These folks, along with the more than 73,000 other NRA members who made

this year's meetings another record-breaking turnout, are the true story of this yearly gathering. While members of the media sit in the pressroom and talk of "reasonable gun laws;' or traipse around the building looking for protests, NRA members of all ages are enjoying a wholesome celebration of American values.

Some come from farms and ranches, some from small towns, others from big cities. Some come from only blocks away, while others travel thousands of miles to attend. Some have been Life members for decades, others just joined for the first time in St. Louis.

These are the good citizens that make our country great. And while media try to portray them as some kind of outcasts on the fringes of society, they simply take it all in stride.

They stand up and proudly say, ''I'm the NRA:,

And they are.

6	AMERICA'S f' FREEDOM I June 2012