President Trump is addressing the National Rifle Association's annual conference in Dallas on Friday, the fourth year in a row he's spoken at the gun group's national meeting. His participation was announced earlier in the week, long after Vice President Mike Pence's Friday attendance was confirmed. Trump had briefly clashed with the NRA after the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, chastising Republican lawmakers for being "afraid of the NRA" and saying he would stand up to the group by backing tougher gun laws. He did not, ultimately.
"It's kind of hypocritical of him to go there after saying so many politicians bow to the NRA and are owned by them," said David Hogg, a Parkland survivor and advocate for new gun laws. "It proves that his heart and his wallet are in the same place." Some gun-rights advocates criticized Trump for signing a law that beefs up background checks.