Review: The 2014 NRA Annual Meetings

I attended the 2014 NRA Annual Meetings in Indianapolis, Indiana. Having attended these events for over a decade it is amazing how much they have grown in popularity. This years attendance was 75,267 fellow patriots.

The Foundation dinner Thursday night was a huge gathering of thousands of like-minded patriots at the Lucas oil stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts. This included dinner, silent and live auctions and raffles. It was a fun way to kick off the weekend and raise money for a great cause.

The Leadership Forum included motivating speeches by Senator Marco Rubio and Governors Bobby Jindal and Mike Pence. Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke gave a shining example of what a sheriff should be. Mark Levin is known for talking to people, but Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri proved that, in addition to delivering a clutch field goal in Super Bowls, he also knows how to deliver a great speech.

The “Stand & Fight Rally” Saturday night was moving. The football stadium was packed with over 40,000 people diverse in their backgrounds but united in their passion not just for firearms but also for America and what is right. We cheered at the speeches of Sarah Palin and Lt. Col. Oliver North. We also cheered and sang along to the music of Sara Evans and Alabama.

As Wayne LaPierre noted, our adversaries try to brand us as extreme and out of touch. The truth is that NRA members are moms and dads, rich and poor, black and white, young and old. We are Americans and proud of it. We say the Pledge of Allegiance and pray to God. We love our children and are willing to fight for a better life for them. We are your friends and neighbors. We are mainstream and we are an important part of what makes America work.

The exhibit hall floor was continuously packed with people interested in learning something new about firearms or refining their knowledge and products they already own. There were new shooters and lifelong shooters all finding something that interested them. No matter your passion, hunting and sporting, competition, self-defense, high tech or vintage, guns, optics, clothing or other accessories – there was a lot for everyone.

We come away from the events renewed in the knowledge that we are not alone in the fight to restore our rights in America. We have millions of members who all stand together and fight for our freedoms and for the safety and security of our families and our friends.

Michael Bloomberg has stated that he will spend $50 million to crush the NRA this year. The NRA knows there are millions of people who will spend $25 to join the NRA this year. They have a new ad promoting this idea. As the ad notes, “let’s see who crushes who.”

As in past years, the main thing that stands out are the people that one meets at a NRA Annual Meetings. Whether it’s in the exhibit hall at the events or on the street walking around town, people are happy and friendly. Strangers wait to hold the door open for their fellow person. Hotel staff and law enforcement told me that we were a perfect group.

It was fun meeting many new people and seeing old friends. I look forward to meeting many more people next year April 10-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association President, BFA PAC Chairman and recipient of the NRA-ILA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award" and the CCRKBA's 2012 "Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award."