Two people they didn’t invite: Chris Christie and Rand Paul.
It is not surprising that the New Jersey moderate was not invited. But the lack of an invitation for Paul stands out.
The Daily Beast reports that Paul did request an invitation to the convention, but was denied:
However, a source with knowledge of Paul’s dealings with the NRA said the claim that he did not request an invitation to the convention was “not true.”
Further, the source said, “Is that really how invitations work?”
Paul has an A-rating from the NRA, but the objective grading of his gun-rights credentials has little to do with the politics of the pro-gun lobby, wherein his involvement with extremist groups tied to his father, former congressman and libertarian-icon Ron Paul, has not won him many friends.
“Sometimes the NRA doesn’t like it when people are bigger defenders of the issue than they are,” the source suggested. “They also don’t like it that he helps other, stronger groups like the Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights.”
The Pauls have long been associated with Gun Owners of America. On the top right of their website, they have a Ron Paul quote emblazoned: “The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington.”
FK – Another nail in the NRA’s coffin. If only we could get all 5 million members or whatever to join GOA.