People attending the National Rifle Association's national meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston heard from President Trump on Friday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott cancelled his scheduled appearance to remain in Uvalde after the mass shooting at an elementary school, but did send the organization a pre-recorded video message.
The Governor disagreed with those who have called for more restrictions on gun ownership after the shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 students and 2 teachers.
"There are thousands of laws on the books across the country that limit the owning or using of firearms, laws that have not stopped madmen from carrying out evil acts on innocent people and peaceful communities," Gov. Abbott said. "In Uvalde, the gunman committed a felony under Texas law before he even pulled the trigger. It's a felony to possess a firearm on school premises, but that did not stop him. Just as laws didn't stop the killer, we will not let his evil acts stop us from uniting the community that he tried to destroy."
Several other politicians, including Senator John Cornyn, announced they would not attend the event in Houston. Senator Ted Cruz was one of the scheduled speakers and did appear at the event on Friday. He also opposed new gun restrictions.
"As is so often the case, those furthest from the halls of power are the most dependent on the ability to defend themselves," Sen. Cruz said. "For millions of Americans the right to keep and bear arms is not theoretical, it's not abstract."
Former President Donald Trump also spoke to the crowd in-person. He said the key to reducing school shootings was making those buildings more secure, not making it more difficult to get a gun.
"There should be strong exterior fencing, metal detectors and the use of new technology to make sure that no unauthorized individual can ever enter the school with a weapon," he said.
An estimated 80,000 people are attending the NRA annual meeting in Houston. It started on Friday and runs through Sunday.
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