BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Company that made Uvalde shooter’s AR-15-style rifle pulls out of NRA convention

Signs line the hallways outside of exhibit halls at the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits event, which opened on Friday in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NEXSTAR) – Daniel Defense, the company that manufactured the AR-15-style rifle used by the shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has pulled out of this week’s NRA convention in Houston.

In a statement shared with Nexstar, the manufacturer said it didn’t feel the present time was “appropriate” to promote its guns.

“Daniel Defense is not attending the National Rifle Association (“NRA”) meeting due to the horrifying tragedy in Uvalde, Texas where one of our products was criminally misused,” the company wrote. “We believe this week is not the appropriate time to be promoting our products in Texas at the NRA meeting.”

The company, founded in Savannah, Georgia, had earlier confirmed its belief that the shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary had used a Daniel Defense firearm, Nexstar’s WSAV reported.

“We will cooperate with all federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in their investigations,” the company said, while offering “thoughts and prayers” to the community in Uvalde.

Daniel Defense has also made its social-media channels private following criticism of a recent tweet which reportedly showed a young boy holding an AR-15-style, The Washington Post reported. Just eight days before the tragedy in Uvalde, Daniel Defense tweeted the photo along with a verse from the Book of Proverbs, which read, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” according to an archived version of the tweet shared by the outlet.

A Daniel Defense representative who shared a company statement with Nexstar on Friday morning did not respond to inquiries concerning the Twitter post.

A guest at the NRA’s 2019 meeting in Indianapolis checks out a Daniel Defense rifle in the exhibition hall. The company will not have a presence at the 2022 meeting in Houston, saying, “We believe this week is not the appropriate time to be promoting our products in Texas at the NRA meeting.” (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

In addition to Daniel Defense, several other guests and performers at the NRA convention in Houston have canceled their appearances, including “American Pie” singer Don McClean, who said it would be “disrespectful and hurtful” to perform. Joining him in canceling performances are “God Bless the U.S.A.” singer Lee Greenwood, as well as performers Larry Gatlin and Larry Stewart. Danielle Peck and T. Graham Brown have also cancelled, Billboard reported, leaving Jacob Bryant as the only remaining performer as of Friday morning. Billboard reported that the NRA was expected to announce the cancellation of all concert activity sometime on Friday, citing a source with knowledge of the event.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also canceled plans to attend the convention after facing criticism for his scheduled appearance in the wake of the school shooting. He and will instead hold a press conference in Uvalde, The Hill reported.

The NRA’s 2022 Annual Meeting & Exhibits will take place between May 27 and May 29 in Houston, Texas.

U.S.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

62°F Sunny Feels like 62°
Wind
0 mph SW
Humidity
32%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NNE
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous