OPINION:
The 80,000 attendees who will arrive in Indianapolis for the National Rifle Association meeting this week have brought some genuine joy to the city. Local economic gurus reveal that the economic clout of the event, which has been four years in the making: the city will take in a minimum of $55 million.
The local press is friendly, meanwhile. The Indianapolis Star is billing the event as “guns, celebs and politics” and offering NRA visitors hints on where to “eat like Ted Nugent” at assorted spots around town, recommending the local braunschweiger sandwich, “wild boar Bolognese” and grilled beef hearts with beets.
Not everyone is happy, though.
The influence of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will surface near the NRA convention site. His new activist group Every Town for Gun Safety is among three organizations planning a rally to protest the three-day event. Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America also play a part.
“The NRA is coming to town for its annual convention,” notes a public advisory. “When they’re in Indianapolis, the NRA’s leadership will reaffirm its stance against common-sense laws to reduce gun violence. And they’ll double down on making it easy to put guns in the hands of dangerous people. That’s why moms will rally near the NRA convention.”
The result? It’s a “Stroller Jam Rally for Gun Sense” Saturday, to be staged Saturday at the Indiana War Memorial, not far from the convention itself.
“I know that the majority of NRA members support common-sense laws. They love their kids as much as I love mine, and want them to be safe. But the NRA leadership is completely out of step with its own membership,” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America wrote in a message to her membership.
“By fiercely opposing even modest steps to keep guns out of dangerous hands, the NRA’s leadership has shown that its allegiance lies with the gun industry - not with its members,” Mrs. Watts continued.
“Moms all across the country are coming to Indianapolis to stand up to the NRA’s misguided and threatening leadership. They’re going to hear our voices whether they like it or not.”
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