HOUSTON — Thousands of people gathered at the downtown convention center here for the controversial annual meeting of the National Rifle Association just days after a mass shooting 270 miles west in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 21 people, including 19 children.
The convention, which started Friday, has become embattled. Former President Donald Trump is still scheduled to appear at an afternoon forum, but several other leaders have pulled out, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that he plans to appear via video from Uvalde. Several musical acts also canceled, including country conservative stalwart Lee Greenwood.
Several progressive groups planned a joint protest Friday afternoon in a park facing the convention center. Abbott’s rival, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, was scheduled to appear at the protest after confronting Abbott over gun control at a briefing in Uvalde a day after the mass shooting. Other expected speakers included Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston and the chief executive of the surrounding county, Lina Hidalgo, according to Ashton Woods, founder and lead organizer of Black Lives Matter Houston.
