The number is in, and it’s big. While not an all-time record for an NRA Annual Meeting, the total attendance for the Phoenix NRA Meeting was 64,324.
Phoenix may have fallen just short of the annual NRA Meeting attendance record which was set last year, but there was no shortage of records set this past weekend. The following records have already been recorded for the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits:
The biggest convention in Phoenix EVER
The largest dinner ever held in the state of Arizona – Over 6,000 paid attendees for the Banquet held on Saturday featuring speakers Oliver North and John Stossel (both were incredible).
The largest attendance for the NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop – 375 attendees.
We’re sure this list will continue to grow as the numbers come in. Tune in later, as we’ll be posting some more records and interesting statistics that we are working on confirming now.
UPDATE: We’ve found the video of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North’s speech at NRA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ on Armed Forces Day, May 16, 2009. Please enjoy Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North’s tribute to our troops.
We have to offer a hat tip to Ballistic Deanimation for pointing out this great article by Patrik Jonsson in the Christian Science Monitor titled: A rifle in one hand, a laptop in the other. Behind the scene with pro-gun bloggers. Jonsson’s article covers the rise of “new media” bloggers covering the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits, and does it without the elitist condescension commonly found in the “old media” (does anyone remember Dan Rather?). Its an even handed portrayal of citizens who are active in the shooting sports, who also happen to write about their interests on the internet. The article features several of the participants from the 2nd Amendment Blog Bash. Have a look and let us know what you think.
Speaking of citizens utilizing their first amendment rights to express views that are not represented by many of the mainstream news journalists, it just so happens that the Days of Our Trailers blog debuted their new Unorganized Militia patches at the NRA Convention today. Thanks to the generosity of ThirdPower, we were fortunate enough to receive the full assortment of patches, stickers, and even a pin.
Cruise on over to Days of Our Trailers site to see the new designs. We’ll also post more photos of the new patches, once we have time to sew them on our shooting jackets.
Photo courtesy City of Phoenix Convention Center website
There is still plenty of time to attend the 2009 Convention/NRA Meetings and Exhibits in Phoenix this weekend (May 16th and 17th). Here’s some information to help you enjoy the event:
Admission is $10 for non-NRA members, and the price includes a one year NRA associate membership.
Admission is free for NRA members and their families, military and law enforcement personnel, and organized youth groups.
To enter and register for the event, go to the Phoenix Convention Center North building, hop on the escalator, and take it down to the exhibit hall level.
The easiest way to find the escalator is to enter the Convention Center through the main doors, which are on the West side of the building. Hang a left when you hit the area that splits into four directions, and the escalators will be almost immediately on your left. If you hit the food court, you’ve gone too far.
There are several public parking garages downtown, and most are running a flat $12.00 per day. There are a few metered spaces here and there, but you are not likely to find an available meter this weekend.
The Metro light rail runs a short block from the Convention Center, and at $2.50 for an all-day pass, it could be your best bet for getting down there on the cheap. There are several park and ride facilities on the rail line, if you want to get most of the way there and use the rail as a shuttle in to the downtown area
