by Claudio Del Frate
55,000 visitors are expected. The NRA promises to “think about” what happened in Uvalde, but accepts no responsibility for what happened. The mayor of the city had asked politicians to stay away from the victims out of respect
No guns are allowed at the gun fair. The norm sums up the short circuit the United States finds itself in better than it couldn’t. Three days after the Uvalde massacre, the annual convention of the NRA, the very powerful arms manufacturers’ and dealers’ association, opened its doors in Houston today. Uvalde and Houston are a little over 300 kilometers apart, a distance not great enough for the two extremes (the damage caused by the indiscriminate use of pistols and rifles and their promotion) to collide.
The ban on carrying weapons at the entrance to the stands of the big fair is dictated by safety regulations, the organizers specify, and is not derived from the shock triggered by the massacre in the elementary school. The show is back in action after a two-year hiatus imposed by Covid, and 55,000 visitors are expected in Houston over the weekend. Sylvester Turner, the Democratic mayor of the city (an “island” in a firmly Republican state) had appealed to all politicians not to attend the gathering as a sign of respect for the victims. Appeal falls on deaf ears: A large part of the Republican elite has announced its participation, above all ex-President Donald Trump. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (who regretted that his citizens weren’t buying enough guns) announced a video message. Protests are also expected around the city in connection with the event, starting with those by the Black Lives Matter movement.
For its part, the NRA (National Rifle Association) announced that the Congress will be an opportunity to reflect on what happened in Uvalde, expressed condolences to the families of the dead but denied feeling in any way responsible for this and other bloodsheds the United States (575 firearm deaths in 2020). The line is always the same: mass killings are the work of isolated madmen. The association’s chairman, Wayne Lapierre, had even launched himself in the past with rather frivolous statements: In the face of another episode of “mass shootings” in a school, he had explained that the way to make institutions safer was not limited to orbital weapons, but equip the staff with weapons.
The scenario therefore leads to pessimism among those who hope that the massacre will become an opportunity to reform the US arms trafficking law: the well-known second amendment to the constitution was not enough, fierce opposition from the Republican party led by the NRA supported, will prevent any intervention, despite the appeal made by President Joe Biden himself. In the meantime, the rush of visitors has set in: at the entrance, a stand sells pullovers with the inscription “Suns out, guns out!”. Expression that more or less translates to “Biceps out!” Certainly not a conciliatory statement.
May 27, 2022 (Modification May 27, 2022 | 14:07)
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