NRA meets in Texas after school massacre, protest roils

HOUSTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is defending the rights of gun owners in remarks to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston, three days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school on the other side of the state.

With protesters shouting outside, Trump was set to call Friday for “drastically” changing the nation's approach to mental health" and "a top-to-bottom security overhaul at schools across this country,” while dismissing calls to disarm gun owners, according to excerpts of his speech.

“The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens — the existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens,” he says in prepared remarks.

Trump was among the Republican leaders lining up to speak at the event, where the gun rights lobbying group said attendees planned to “reflect on” — and deflect any blame for — the school shooting in Uvalde. Hundreds of protesters angry about gun violence demonstrated outside, including some holding crosses with photos of the shooting victims.

Wayne LaPierre, the group's chief executive, began the event by saying that "every NRA member and I know every decent American is mourning right now. Twenty-one beautiful lives ruthlessly and indiscriminately extinguished by a criminal monster."

Still, he said that “restricting the fundamental human rights of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is not the answer. It never has been.”

The several hundred people in the auditorium stood and bowed their heads in a moment of silence for the victims of the Uvalde school shooting. There were many empty seats.

Among the protesters outside, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the governor’s race, ticked...