So, as I am sure everyone is aware, the NRA held its annual meeting in Houston this weekend. I was down at the convention center (well mostly we were across the street but at one point we did end up in front of the center) yesterday for the protest. I thought I'd share my photos and experiences with the community.
Some are reporting there were only "10" or "10 or 20" people protesting. Allow me to dispel that right off the bad. Bear in mind that there are few group shots as we were focused on our activities not photos, and because it was ongoing for several hours and people were coming in and out at different times.
I arrived at about 145 yesterday afternoon, when the protests had been going on for nearly 3 hours already. My sister, brother in law, and one niece were there. My children were not, due to my concern that things might get ugly, we had already had comments online about seeing "how many of us would be stupid enough to protest armed citizens" and things of that nature, so my kids stayed home.
As it turns out the worst I got during the day was a rather heated debate with an NRA attendee who wanted to screech at me, (apparently there is video of this on the local fox news station, I haven't seen it as I don't watch fox but I am looking into finding a copy) and some name calling. The groups represented here include the Bluebonnet Brigade, the Houston chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America who had the signatures for shame placards for us to sign that will be delivered to Sens Cornyn and Cruz this week, Code Pink, and the No More Names project.
We did sing at one point, with a random guy who seemed quite... toasted, who had wandered up with a guitar, but mostly we were silent, so as to allow the names being read to be heard. My niece took a shift reading, as did I. If you see the pictures, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also took a shift. She also walked with a group of us moms over to be in front of the convention center for visibility and even held a sign.
We did get a couple of NRA members to agree with the background check issue we were specifically acting on and even sign the signatures for shame placard. We also got heckled by the man in the "Obama is a socialist, a fraud, a liar, and a racist bigot shirt", called idiots and a "sad sad bunch", had "get a life" and "NO BACKGROUND CHECKS" yelled at us, an old timer yelled something about the troops at us (no idea why honestly) until another woman and I informed him that of course we support the troops, we are veterans!, and my personal favorites were the man who told his approximately 9 year old son not to "get too close to the protesters, they might scream" and the guy who thought that holding up his "shove gun control up your" with a picture of a donkey shirt at us from across the street would be effective lol. I did have a debate that lasted a half hour or better with a 68 year old, long haired, self professed libertarian. We didn't get any agreement, except on the point that the media talking so much about the mass shooters may turn them into celebrities of sorts and that is unlikely to help, but it was a civil debate which I can at least respect. Creepily, he told an NRA attendee that stopped to photograph my sign (more on that in a second) that I was a "very attractive young lady" and such of that nature. My sign? Got some reactions lol. It read , simply, "What part of well regulated is unclear."
In the pictures above, Code Pink is instantly recognizable. My brother in law is the very tall one in black and grey checks, my sister in all black with an orange sign, my niece the only visible child in the yellow shirt, and your truly is the bright red hair with a purple/black print top.
2:43 PM PT: I did not mention that the male in the Boy Scouts uniform top, I am told is one Aaron Black of the Occupy the NRA movement.