The National Rifle Association sent out an alert to its members late Monday warning that an initiative in Texas to allow alcohol at gun shows could backfire and have a “devastating impact” on NRA events.
The warning came after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission proposed a new set of rules last week that would allow alcohol to be served at gun shows across the state. The catch was that organizers of the events had to disable all firearms on display, ban live ammunition, and prohibit buyers from taking possession of their weapons on site.
The changes would override the current protocol, in which alcohol-serving venues are made to suspend the sale of alcohol throughout the preparation and duration of a gun show.
But what might appear to be a relaxation of regulations on the gun show industry has not been well-received by the NRA. In an alert posted Monday by the organization’s lobbying arm, the NRA asked its members to take action because the changes “could actually end these events as we know them”
“The proposed rules, as currently written, could have a devastating impact on Friends of NRA (FONRA) events in the Lone Star State,” the alert said.
It warned that gun shows could no longer be held in hotels or other venues with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) permit, even if the events were alcohol-free. The NRA also complained that the rules sneak in new and unfamiliar “safety guidelines” to be imposed on shooting ranges and gun clubs.
The alert also noted that these events are also a source of NRA fundraising, with money going to the NRA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and that the changes would put such fundraising in jeopardy.
The warning is a very different take from the one offered last week by Alice Trip, the legislative director of the NRA’s Texas affiliate, who told the Associated Press that the proposed rules were “confusing” but made no dire predictions.
“Nobody is interested in selling alcohol at a gun show,” she said.
we are so very fucked when the nra is the voice of reason.
Whatever could go wrong. Some gun dealer or customer might get shot. Oh noes.
But they’re just fine in BARS, churches, schools, restaurants, and stores. Right, morons?
Unbelievable.
More chum for Snark Week.
I’m really confused. What’s this “disable all firearms” and “ban live ammunition” stuff?
Shouldn’t everyone at these conventions be walking around with loaded weapons and a finger on the trigger in the name of Second Amendment Patriotism? You know, just like they insist on people doing at Wal-Mart, Applebee’s and school playgrounds.
What about a possible Al-Qaeda attack on the convention? Or – even worse – someone at this Texas convention might even express the opinion that health care should be affordable. Tyranny, as we know, comes in many forms.
Wow. It’s almost like they’re worried that an unstable individual could turn his weapon against innocent people and turn the event into a bloodbath. Although that’s impossible, because guns are totally awesome and have never hurt anyone.
Now, if Texas could implement “Stand Your Ground” expressly for gun shows as well as support your local drunken hunter, there might be some hope that over time there could be a distinct diminution in the number of people searching for penis extenders.