Protesters gather in Houston as NRA convention begins
Fox News’ Alicia Acuna shares the scene of protesters lining the streets of Houston as the National Rifle Association kicks off its annual convention.
A New York NPR-affiliate radio station recently published an article calling on protesters to engage in personal attacks, property damage and harassment against every single NRA board member, even if it landed them behind bars.
In a June 3 article for WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Albany commentator and retired professor Michael Meeropol wrote an article calling to fight the NRA with "dirty tactics." Meeropol proposed that the NRA board and "every anti-gun safety" U.S. senator should no longer have the "luxury of politeness."
"It’s time to stop playing by THEIR RULES --- Their rules are they can do anything, say anything, break any norm --- and maybe they will be chided by the media --- and in some cases—(the January 6 insurrection) prosecuted in slow motion," Meeropol wrote.
The commentator went on to say that if he lived in Washington, D.C., he hoped he would be courageous enough to stand up in the Senate gallery and yell "murderer" at every Republican attempting to speak. He added that he would happily be arrested and later attempt to get a jury to nullify a possible conviction.
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Signage outside the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Houston, Texas, US, on Friday, May 27, 2022. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the NRA should postpone its convention in the city this weekend out of respect for the victims of the nation's second-deadliest school shooting this week in Uvalde, Texas. Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"I believe NRA board members should be subjected to personal attacks," Meeropol asserted. "I am not recommending violence but certainly active civil disobedience and nuisance activities that might land oneself in jail are definitely called for."
He also floated the idea of throwing red paint on the front stoop, driveway and lawn of their homes in order to make them "uncomfortable."
"No more NICE from our side. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" Meeropol concluded.
WAMC responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment with this statement: "WAMC is home to a wide range of commentaries and viewpoints, and as stated regularly on air and online, the views of commentators are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WAMC or its management."
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Different booths are shown on the exhibit floor of the 2022 NRA convention in Houston. (Fox News Digital)
In a comment to Fox News Digital, the NRA’s Digital Director Billy McLaughlin called the NPR affiliates decision to post the article "disgraceful."
"It is disgraceful that a New York NPR affiliate would post this unhinged screed by a leftist academic calling for crimes against NRA supporters. Interesting how the media and other 'hate speech' monitors don’t seem to mind. The double-standard is palpable and disturbing," he said in full.
The NRA has recently received swathes of criticism in the wake of a number of mass shootings across the country. The association was also panned after hosting their yearly convention in Texas, days after the school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two adults dead.
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In this March 24, 2018, file photo, crowds of people participate in the March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control in San Francisco. ((AP Photo/Josh Edelson, File))
The latest mass shooting occurred Sunday in Philadelphia, which left three people dead and another 11 wounded. District Attorney Larry Krasner, D., quickly attempted to place blame on NRA gun lobbyists for the crime in one of the more recent examples of criticism of the prominent gun rights organization.
"The terrible crimes last night on South Street tell our Pennsylvania legislators it’s time for real action," Krasner, a progressive Democrat elected in 2017, tweeted. "Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now."
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Reached by Fox News Digital, NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter had a strong reaction to Krasner's tweet, arguing the district attorney "blaming the NRA, which advocates for its 5 million law-abiding members to be able defend themselves and their families, is a feeble cop out and a disgrace."
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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