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- The National Rifle Association's annual convention was scheduled for next week in Houston.
- On Tuesday, the organization announced that the convention was canceled over COVID-19 concerns.
- COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been surging in Harris County, which includes Houston.
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The National Rifle Association has canceled its annual meeting over COVID-19 concerns.
"The NRA's top priority is ensuring the health and well-being of our members, staff, sponsors, and supporters. We are mindful that NRA Annual Meeting patrons will return home to family, friends, and co-workers from all over the country, so any impacts from the virus could have broader implications," the organization said in a statement on Tuesday. "Those are among the reasons why we decided to cancel our 2021 event."
The NRA's annual conventions usually attract thousands of attendees. More than 87,000 people attended the 2018 convention in Dallas.
The convention was scheduled to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center from September 3-5 in Houston, where COVID-19 cases have been on the rise and hospitals are overwhelmed.
Houston is in Harris County, which has reported a 21% test positivity rate over the past two weeks, county data showed. As of Tuesday, there were more than 51,000 active cases in Houston and the entire county combined. The county is under the highest threat warning and has instructed the unvaccinated only to leave their homes for essentials and for everyone to wear masks indoors.
On Monday, KTRK reported that three emergency rooms in the Houston area had to shut down because of an overwhelming number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The Daily Beast previously reported that prior to the cancellation of the event, multiple gun makers had pulled out of the conference over COVID-19 concerns. Sources told the outlet that makers like Benelli USA, Browning, FN Herstal, Kimber Manufacturing, Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, Sig Sauer, and Sturm, Ruger & Company had pulled out. None of these companies responded to Insider's email requests for comment at the time of publication.
Shannon Watts, founder of gun-violence prevention group Moms Demand Action, was critical that the NRA said it was canceling over safety concerns while at the same time promoting guns.
"The @NRA claims to have analyzed data and consulted with local medical professionals and elected officials about the dangers of the pandemic in Texas, but completely ignored this exact process when it pushed permitless carry through the state's legislature two months ago," Watts said in a tweet.
She added: "it is probably the first time the @NRA has put public health and safety before profits, so there's that…"
The NRA did not respond to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.