Chris Cox, NRA-ILA chief, urges gun rights supporters to ‘stand tall,’ ‘stand proud’

DALLAS — Chris Cox, the head of the National Rifle Association’s legislative-lobbying arm, helped kick off the group’s Friday”Leadership Forum” at the NRA’s convention by saying there’s never been a more critical time for gun rights supporters to “stand tall” and “stand proud.”

The NRA’s 147th annual gathering comes a few months after the Parkland, Florida, shooting that’s generated an unprecedented wave of gun control activism, notably among younger people and some of the students who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and have emerged as new spokesmen for stricter controls.

Mr. Cox acknowledged the Parkland shooting that claimed 17 lives, saying every parent in America wants to know their kids will be safe at school.

“While too many people are focused on political agendas, the NRA is focused on real solutions,” he said. “Let’s put trained, armed security in every school, and do it right now.”

Mr. Cox, the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), also said “no guns allows” signs at schools are an invitation to tragedy.

“To be clear, the 5 million law-abiding men and woman of the National Rifle Association will not accept one shred of blame for the acts of madmen and the failures of government,” he said.

He played a clip of Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy likening the NRA to a terrorist organization.

“In the face of their bitter hatred, there’s never been a more critical time for us to stand tall — and by God to stand proud,” Mr. Cox said.

Several first-time NRA convention attendees said they are ready to push back against the calls for new controls, and that they’re trying to take one of the event’s taglines — “A Show of Strength for Second Amendment Freedom” — to heart.

“My husband and I joined the NRA a couple months ago,” said Kindle Miller, 46, from Wylie, Texas. “The whole protection of everything — we believe everybody should have guns if they want them for protection purposes. We really just want to see what all is here.”

“All the shootings and the kids that are going to riot that really don’t know what they’re rioting for — the left side’s pushing that,” she said.

Ron Strader, 71, from the Houston area, said he wanted to come to learn more about firearms safety, and that everyone — including gun owners — would stand to benefit by educating themselves more.

“Unfortunately these young kids that are trying to create this protest — I think it’s hilarious, to be honest with you,” he said. “We used to have some people that protested the guns, and yet they had Secret Service protecting them with guns.”

“If we look at the statistics, gun ownership went up, crime went down,” he said. “They banned guns in Chicago — what happened? Murders, every day — I mean, let’s get real.”