Donald Trump is gearing up for an address to the National Rifle Association (NRA) as more than 70,000 members are expected in Texas for the group’s annual meeting.

Donald Trump is gearing up for an address to the National Rifle Association (NRA) as more than 70,000 members are expected in Texas for the group’s annual meeting.

He will speak at the event for the fourth year in a row. Last year, he became the first sitting president to appear in more than 30 years, declaring that the “assault” on the Second Amendment had ended. But this year’s speech in Dallas comes as the issue of gun violence takes on new urgency after one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Going to Dallas (the GREAT State of Texas) today. Leaving soon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2018 Survivors of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead are leading a massive national gun control movement. Several groups have announced plans to protest over the weekend during the NRA event. The protesters will include parents of those killed in Parkland and other shootings.

The survivors’ campaign has not led to major changes from the White House or the Republican-led Congress but Mr Trump did briefly declare he would stand up to the powerful gun lobby. Donald Trump speaks during the NRA event last year in Atlanta (Mike Stewart/AP) He later backpedalled, expressing support for modest changes to the background check system, as well as arming teachers.

His attendance at this year’s NRA convention was announced just days ago and came after Vice President Mike Pence was already scheduled to appear. Asked why Mr Trump was attending, given political tensions around gun violence, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said this week that safety was a “big priority”.

One of the Parkland survivors, David Hogg, was critical of the president’s planned attendance. “It’s kind of hypocritical of him to go there after saying so many politicians bow to the NRA and are owned by them,” he said. “It proves that his heart and his wallet are in the same place.”

At a televised meeting with politicians in February, Mr Trump wagged his finger at a Republican senator and scolded him for being “afraid of the NRA”, declaring that he would stand up to the group and finally get results in quelling gun violence. NRA convention raffle items at the convention centre in Dallas (Sue Ogrocki/AP) He praised members of the gun lobby as “great patriots” but declared “that doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything”.

He said: “It doesn’t make sense that I have to wait until I’m 21 to get a handgun, but I can get this weapon at 18.” He was referring to the AR-15 the Parkland shooting suspect is accused of using. After expressing interest in increasing the minimum age to purchase a so-called assault weapon to 21, Mr Trump later declared there was “not much political support” for the move.

He then pushed off the issue of age restrictions by assigning the question to a commission. He ran as supposedly the best friend of the Second Amendment and has become gun grabber in chief
• “He ran as supposedly the best friend of the Second Amendment and has become gun grabber in chief” “He ran as supposedly the best friend of the Second Amendment and has become gun grabber in chief” Trump’s moves have drawn concerns from both sides of the gun debate.

“He ran as supposedly the best friend of the Second Amendment and has become gun grabber in chief,” said Michael Hammond, legislative counsel to the Gun Owners of America. He said his members were upset Mr Trump had approved a spending bill that included background check updates. “We’re not confident at all. We are very disappointed,” he said. Kristin Brown, of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said Mr Trump had offered mixed messages since the Parkland shooting.

“Which Donald Trump is going to show up?” she asked. “Will it be the one who sympathised with the Parkland students he brought to the White House, the one who met with members of the Senate … or the one who had burgers” with NRA head Wayne LaPierre. </s> ATLANTA (AP) - President Donald Trump took the stage at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting on Friday afternoon.

On the eve of his 100-day mark in office, Trump delivered a campaign-like speech to the gun lobby's annual convention in Atlanta.

The president rattled off a recap of his election night victory, vowed to protect the Second Amendment, and drew loud cheers for vowing to build a southern border wall.

He said "we'll build a wall" because it's needed to stop human trafficking and drugs. But the president made no mention Friday as to how he would pay for the wall, or when construction would start.

A number of Republicans have distanced themselves from Trump's signature campaign promise.

Trump revived what has been called a racist insult against Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her "Pocahontas." That's a reference to claims she made about being part Native American.

The president talked about having the group's support if he decides to run for a second term. He said he has "a feeling that in the next election you're going to be swamped with candidates," adding: "It may be Pocahontas, remember that."

He also reassured members that he's fight for them, saying: "You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you."

Trump also urged fellow Republicans to turn out for a special congressional race that is being viewed as a referendum on his presidency.

He called for Karen Handel to take the seat vacated by Tom Price, who resigned to join Trump's Cabinet as health secretary. Handel emerged from a crowded Republican primary field to be the nominee.

Trump called such battles "too nerve shattering." Trump was scheduled to appear at a fundraiser for her later Friday. On June 20, she will face Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff, who used an anti-Trump wave and nearly won the seat outright, finishing almost 30 points ahead of Handel, the top Republican vote-getter.

The president's appearance marked a return to the nation's most powerful gun lobby, where he garnered significant support during last year's election.

"The eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end," Trump declared, becoming the first sitting president since 1983 to address the NRA annual meeting. </s> Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is supporting Democrat Jon Ossoff's congressional campaign in Georgia. His opponent Republican Karen Handel hopes Donald Trump will campaign for her. </s> California Rep. Eric Swalwell Is Running For President, Too, With A Focus on Guns

California Rep. Eric Swalwell is the latest Democrat to jump into the race for president.

"I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve problems and threats from abroad, unable to make life better for people here at home. Nothing gets done," Swalwell said in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday night.

After walking through a list of issues from foreign threats to student loan debt to gun violence, he added, "None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on thee issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the way that we govern. I'm ready to solve these problems. I'm running for president of the United States."

Swalwell is the 18th Democrat to join the race for the party's 2020 presidential nomination.

One of the key issues the California Democrat, 38, is highlighting is one important to young voters in particular: gun safety. He's hosting a town hall Tuesday on the subject at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., only 13 miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the scene of the 2018 massacre that killed 17 people. The BB&T Center, where the Florida Panthers ice hockey team plays, is an arena with capacity seating of more than 20,000.

That Parkland shooting has led to mass demonstrations and activism from not just survivors of the shooting but many other young people across the country. In fact, helping to organize the town hall was Cameron Kasky, a Parkland survivor, who was Swalwell's guest for the State of the Union address.

Swalwell has also taken on the National Rifle Association, proposing an assault-weapons ban. The NRA put Swalwell on the cover of its January magazine, which Swalwell embraced, saying he is "living in the NRA's head."

Swalwell got put on that cover after landing in controversy a couple months earlier because of a reply to a Twitter user. The user said Swalwell "wants a war" over gun rights and that he's out of his mind "if you think I'll give up my rights and give the gov[ernment] all the power."

To which Swalwell said, "it would be a short war my friend. The government has nukes."

It would make some sense that Swalwell announce in a pop-culture setting, given that he was appointed as the director of youth outreach for the House Democratic caucus by House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in 2015.

Swalwell, who was born in Iowa but grew up in California, is less known than some other Democrats running for president. But he has been a fixture on cable news during the Mueller probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and alleged collusion with the Trump campaign.

Swalwell is used to being the underdog. He won his seat to Congress in 2012 when he was only 31. The former deputy district attorney from the East Bay are of California, near San Francisco, ousted a 40-year incumbent Democrat, Pete Stark.

That rankled the party establishment, but he quickly made nice with Pelosi, a fellow Bay Area congresswoman – and powerful leader on Capitol Hill.

Instead of making an enemy of Swalwell, Pelosi, who has faced criticism that the party needs younger leadership, embraced him. Swalwell became known as the "Snapchat king of Congress."

"I realized that so many of our constituents were on Snapchat," Swalwell told The Hill in 2016. "It wasn't just young people, but their parents had figured out that's where their kids are."

Swalwell has been married to Brittany Watts since 2016. He was married once before, but it ended in divorce. </s> There's so much win in this Jon Ossoff interview.

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle points out the Donald Trump tweeted six times about the Georgia Six race. She doesn't mention that he also recorded the worst robocall in the history of American politics, in my opinion.

Ossoff would not respond with Trump's name:

JON OSSOFF: Folks in Washington tend to overstate their influence in local races like this. This comes down to grassroots intensity. The thousands of volunteers and organizers, so much of it led by women ...it's that kind of grassroots energy that will carry us to victory on June 20.

Way to pivot from Trump to Democratic women organizers, Jon Ossoff!

And Ossoff's opponent, Karen Handel, says she welcomes Trump's support and willingness to campaign for her? Really? (You gotta hand it to Driftglass -- his coverage of that nugget gets the prize for Best Title of the Day.)

Let's see how Karen Handel's family values platform holds up after a state visit from Mister P*ssy Grabber Tic-Tac Chomper.

And watch out Jon. As Secretary of State for Georgia 2009-11, Handel was notorious for purging voter rolls until the Obama administration stopped her. Her ilk won't have such problems under this so-called President. </s> President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for gun rights Friday, telling attendees of a National Rifle Association convention that “the eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.”

Trump, the first sitting president to address the group’s annual convention in more than 30 years, assured the audience that he would defend their right to bear arms in a campaign-like speech reminiscent of his election rallies.

“You have a true friend and champion in the White House,” he said.

The president’s trip to Atlanta also served as his first foray into a congressional race since taking office. After delivering his NRA remarks, the president headed to a private fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Karen Handel, who is running in a special congressional race that has become a national referendum on his presidency.

During the speech, the president congratulated Handel and urged Republicans to support her.

“She’s totally for the NRA, and she’s totally for the Second Amendment, so get out and vote,” he said.

Trump has been a champion of gun rights and supportive of NRA efforts to loosen restrictions on gun ownership. During the campaign, he promised to do away with President Barack Obama’s efforts to strengthen background checks and to eliminate gun-free zones at schools and military bases.

The last president to address an NRA convention was Ronald Reagan, who spoke to the 1983 gathering, according to the powerful gun rights lobby.

Trump’s appearance in Atlanta sparked protests from people advocating for stricter gun control measures. They included Steve Hagen, who called the NRA’s push for federal legislation to make any state’s concealed-carry permits valid nationwide “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I guess the promoters are throwing states’ rights out the window,” Hagen, a 68-year-old from the Atlanta suburb of Tucker. “It’s just crazy.”

Opponents of the bill say the move would effectively turn the weakest gun standards in the nation into the law of the land. The GOP-led Congress already passed a resolution to block a rule that would have kept guns out of the hands of certain people with mental disorders, and Trump quickly signed it.

Trump, who also attended last year’s NRA convention as a candidate, boasts of owning a pair of guns and mentioned again on Friday that his two adult sons are avid hunters. He stirred controversy during the campaign when he suggested that “Second Amendment people” could stop his opponent Hillary Clinton, which some interpreted to be a call for violence against the Democratic nominee. Trump disputed that charge.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on the plane trip from Washington that NRA members supported Trump during the election based on his strong commitment to gun rights. He also cited Trump’s appointment of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

“I know the NRA is glad to have a justice in that seat who is such a staunch defender of the Constitution,” he said.

Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of a magazine published by the United States Concealed Carry Association, said seeing that a president will be addressing the annual meeting “gives the gun industry a feeling of he’s on our side.”

The political landscape has changed dramatically with a president now in the White House friendly to the gun industry and gun rights. But Michalowski said it’s premature to get complacent with gun sales having tapered off since the election and “there’s always a group out there that opposes the Second Amendment and what it stands for.”

Trump attendance at the private fundraiser for Handel is his first such endeavour for a congressional hopeful since he took office and confirmation that the GOP sees Georgia’s 6th Congressional District runoff as a barometer of the 2018 midterm elections.

The affluent, well-educated district has been in Republican hands since 1979 — when voters put the future House Speaker Newt Gingrich to the seat — and it still covers the usually conservative northern suburbs of Atlanta. But an upstart Democrat, 30-year-old Jon Ossoff, used an anti-Trump wave to raise more than $8 million ahead of an April 18, multiparty primary and nearly won the seat outright, finishing almost 30 points ahead of Handel, the top Republican vote-getter.

Handel largely avoided mentioning Trump during the primary campaign, a nod to his struggles in November, when he barely won a district that usually gives GOP presidential nominees more than 60 per cent of the vote.

But Handel has openly embraced the president in the opening days of the runoff campaign. Trump called to congratulate her on qualifying for the runoff and praised her via his personal Twitter account. Both major parties and their aligned organizations have flooded the district with volunteers, paid staffers and promises of millions in additional television advertising ahead of the June 20 second round.

The winner will succeed Republican Tom Price, who resigned to joint Trump’s Cabinet as health secretary.

Associated Press writers Bill Barrow and Lisa Marie Pane in Atlanta contributed to this report. </s> Retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North will step down as president of the National Rifle Association, North said on Saturday, adding he was being forced out due to his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties.

In a letter to the organization's annual meeting in Indianapolis read by an NRA board member, North, a conservative commentator best known for his central role in the 1980s Iran-Contra affair, said he had hoped to stand for re-election when his term ends on Monday.

"I am now informed that will not happen," North said in the letter.

His departure came after NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre accused North of trying to oust him by threatening to release "damaging" information about him, according to a letter from LaPierre to NRA board members that was published by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

NRA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

North, 75, who was named by the NRA as its president in May 2018, was a pivotal figure in the Iran-Contra affair involving secret sales of arms to Iran by Republican President Ronald Reagan's administration and the unlawful diversion of the proceeds to Nicaraguan rebels.

When he was appointed, LaPierre hailed him as "a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader."

North, long a hero to some on the political right, was convicted in 1989 of three felonies related to the Iran-Contra affair, but his convictions were overturned on appeal in 1990.

He later became a conservative radio talk show host and frequent commentator on conservative television networks.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the NRA's annual meeting and vowed to revoke the United States' status as a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty. </s> On May 20, 2016, the National Rifle Association endorsed Donald Trump for president. When he went on stage to speak at the NRA convention, Trump took the opportunity to bash Hillary Clinton over the Second Amendment. </s> ATLANTA (AP) — Former congressional candidate Jon Ossoff says he will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue in 2020.

The Georgia Democrat tweeted Monday night that he has, "some big...
In a meeting for the NRA, U.S. president Donald Trump criticizes Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff.