More than 86,000 Second Amendment supporters attended the NRA’s annual meeting in Houston last weekend, shattering the previous attendance record, the National Rifle Association announced Monday. The numbers for 2013 increased by almost 15,000 from last year’s convention in St. Louis, according to spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.
The NRA originally estimated that around 75,000 people would attend, CNN reports.
The seal for the National Rifle Association(NRA) is seen during the 142nd annual convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center May 4, 2013 in Houston, Texas. Thousands attended the three-day convention whose theme this year was ‘Stand and Fight.’ Credit: AFP/Getty Images
The gun rights organization also named its new president over the weekend.
The incoming leader of the National Rifle Association has a long history with the powerful gun rights lobby and a penchant for bold statements that are sure to enflame an already explosive national debate over gun control.
James Porter, an Alabama attorney and first vice president of the NRA, assumes the presidency on Monday after the group’s national convention wraps up in Houston. He didn’t wait until then to ignite a new furor over gun control, telling the NRA grass-roots organizers on Friday they are the front line of a “culture war” that goes beyond gun rights.
“(You) here in this room are the fighters for freedom. We are the protectors,” Porter said.
