The 134th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Tex.. were a tremendous success, as more than 59,000 NRA members took part in this annual gathering. With more than five acres of guns and gear on display, the George R. Brown Convention Center was swarming with pro-Second Amendment enthusiasts checking out the latest wares of the firearm and sporting industries.
As noted in last week's Grassroots Alert, the 150 NRA members who partook in Friday's NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop were a precursor of things to come, as virtually every area of the meeting saw increases, including membership recruitment and fundraising. Members passing through the ILA booth sent more than 1,000 e-mail messages to their legislators from the on-site computers and ILA's Grassroots Division recruited more than 100 new FrontLines™ volunteers as well!
On Monday, April 18, NRA's Board of Directors elected its officers-Sandra Froman (President), John Sigler (First Vice President), Ronald Schmeits (Second Vice President), Jim Land (Secretary), and Wilson Phillips (Treasurer). Wayne LaPierre was once again chosen as NRA's Executive Vice President, and he in turn reappointed Chris Cox as NRA-ILA's Executive Director and Craig Sandler as NRA Executive Director of General Operations.
Outgoing President Kayne B. Robinson was recognized for "fighting for conservative principles and individual liberty" by the Republican Study Committee (RSC). North Carolina Representative Patrick T. McHenry (R-10), presented a plaque to Mr. Robinson on behalf of the 100-member RSC.
Newly elected Board Members include well-known actor and Second Amendment proponent Tom Selleck, former U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D), and former Virginia Governor and former Republican National Committee chairman James S. Gilmore III (R).
Of course, far more occurred in Houston than we could possibly report here, so please look for a more detailed account of events in an upcoming issue of your NRA magazine.
We hope we will see you at next year's Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!