Noem to speak at NRA convention in Texas, where mass shooting reignites gun control debate
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Calls from President Joe Biden to reject the national gun lobby in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Texas won't alter Gov. Kristi Noem's travel schedule.
The governor's office confirmed Wednesday the first-term Republican intends to speak Friday at the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Texas, as planned prior to a mass shooting that took place in that state Tuesday.
The Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting killed at least 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers.
"May our Heavenly Father comfort those in pain and sorrow," Noem wrote on social media as details emerged about the killings, carried about by 18-year-old Uvalde resident Salvador Ramos. "All South Dakotans stand with the people of Uvalde."
The tragedy brought with it a chorus of sympathies from public officials across the country and reignited calls for tighter gun restrictions in the United States. And the president was quick to take aim at the national gun lobby, including the NRA.
"As a nation, we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?" Biden said. "When in God's name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?"
In South Dakota, political candidates often tout their standing with the NRA as a selling point to voters ahead of elections.
Noem, along with U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune, and Congressman Dusty Johnson, have A+ scores from the NRA for supporting firearm and Second Amendment rights.
The NRA convention will be held Friday through Sunday in Houston.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Gov. Noem to speak at NRA convention in Texas, following mass shooting
