The last time the National Rifle Association came to Charlotte, then NRA president Charlton Heston thrust a musket in the air and shouted what would become a signature slogan: "From my cold, dead hands!" Now the NRA is back. The city's largest ever convention opens Thursday at the uptown Charlotte Convention Center. Organizers expect up to 70,000 visitors to pump at least $20 million into the local economy. So packed are hotels that even Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps had a hard time finding a room for this weekend's UltraSwim.
Read Original at: The Charlotte Observer (N.C.)