Instead, they attributed this attack and others to a broader breakdown in society wrought by the removal of God from public schools, the decline of two-parent households, a perceived leniency toward criminals, social media and an increase in mental illness. But they were also unified in their belief that the shooter’s access to guns was not to blame.
In interviews with The Texas Tribune, a dozen NRA convention attendees were horrified by the Uvalde shooting. They attended the event, which was headlined by former President Donald Trump - just 72 hours after the massacre - despite other speakers and musical performers canceling out of respect for the victims and as Democrats and gun control advocates called for the event to be canceled or moved. Thousands of devoted NRA members descended to Houston on Friday, 250 miles east of the site where the children, all 10 years old or younger, were gunned down by an 18-year-old with two legally purchased assault rifles. “Every time we have a whack job that shoots up people, it puts us under stress,” he said.