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Pence to address NRA annual meeting

By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM

Vice President Mike Pence will address the National Rifle Association at the group’s annual meeting in early May, his office announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as gun control continues to loom large as a political issue in the wake of the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that led to nationwide protests and marches calling for stricter gun laws.

That shooting, which left 17 people dead, came just over four months after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, when a gunman in Las Vegas killed 58 people at a concert. The NRA has been adamant in its opposition to tighter gun laws.

Pence, like many Republicans, also opposes most gun control measures. The NRA was one of President Donald Trump’s major supporters during the 2016 campaign and has remained a close ally during his presidency. Trump signaled a willingness to expand background checks and raise the age to buy certain firearms in the wake of the Parkland shooting, but he walked back some of those positions after meeting with NRA leaders. The White House is instead calling for the arming of teachers, a policy supported by the NRA but derided by gun-control activists and many lawmakers.

Pence will deliver his speech to NRA members on May 4 in Dallas. Additional speakers include NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, the NRA announced.