This week is the start of the NRA Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend, you need to do this at least once in your lifetime. There’s a variety of interesting meetings and clinics, and a huge vendor floor that nearly every firearm and accessory manufacturer attends. If you ever wanted to hold a particular gun in your own hands, this is the place.
Tonight, May 16th will be another incredible Friends of NRA Event. Attended by folks from across the nation, fierce bidding will take place with lots of funds being raised for the NRA Foundation, the 501(c)3 charitable arm of the NRA. That’s what pays for things like Eddie Eagle and Women on Target events.
Friday the 17th is the Clubs & Associations Workshop. Leaders from nearly every state association will be attending to network and discuss best ways to do things. Dave Halbrook, a stellar NRA staff guy and Keystone member will be leading the event.
Also Friday is the Annual National Firearms Law Seminar. This event gathers the largest number of Second Amendment-focused attorneys in the country. Famous cases and the folks who brought them to court will be there.
Yours truly will be attending the inaugural Women’s Leadership Forum Gala and Auction Friday night. It’s co-ed, so that’s why the ladies are letting me in! Pete Hegseth of Fox News will be the keynote speaker. Let’s see if I can get out of there without bidding on another gun.
Saturday is the Annual Meeting of Members. It’s expected to be an interesting meeting this year. One of the things that is always done at this meeting is awarding the oldest and youngest members attending the meeting. The 76th Board Director will also be elected by the members who are eligible to vote. We’re guessing that a certain current board member from Massachusetts who is also a Keystone member may take that role.
The Hunters Leadership Forum is Saturday. The keynote speaker is a wonderful woman I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, the former US Fish and Wildlife Director under President Trump.
If we’re not all exhausted by then, we’ll be invigorated by the NRA Leadership Forum. Governor Greg Abbott will be accompanied by a certain fellow we all know. Plan on standing in line for quite a while as Secret Service agents are exceptionally good at keeping everyone safe. If you saw him at the Great American Outdoor Show, it’s going to be a similar event, only bigger.
Saturday night’s NRA Country concert is always a favorite. I know I’ll be completely exhausted by then, but a sold-out crowd will be attending the event once again.
Sunday is another packed day. It starts with the National Prayer Breakfast. Lots of good people will be attending to demonstrate how their faith plays into their God-given Constitutional rights.
The Women’s New Energy Brunch will pull together women from across the country to learn about NRA’s programs, outreach efforts, and mission as relates to women, to discuss current issues such as personal protection, and to meet many female NRA board members, staff and leaders. Started by Board members Linda Walker of Ohio and our own Maria Heil (a Keystone member shown below), this is a must-do event for women.
Lastly I’ll be attending the annual Board Meeting on Monday, then a quick direct flight back to Philly on Tuesday.
It’s going to be a busy week back home, with theMontgomery County Friends of NRA Banquet on Thursday the 23rd and neighboring Berks County Friends of NRA Banquet on Friday night the 24th. On Saturday the 25th I’m teaching a Basic Instructor Training (BIT) course for NRA Instructor candidates in North Philly. On the 7th day, I’m going to rest!
By the way, once again please tell your shooting buddies to make sure they are registered to vote in the General Election in November. As we found out in the last U.S. Senate race, every vote matters. If 150,000 gun owners voted for someone other than the now-junior Senator from our state, the election outcome would have been quite different.
Todd Ellis – President