3. National Rifle Association Annual Meeting & Exhibits
Dallas
#3 Political Event
The 147th annual N.R.A. convention marked the first time in history that both a sitting president and vice president addressed association members; the convention, however, banned guns during Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s speeches. Unsurprisingly, the convention wasn’t met without controversy, given the ongoing debate on gun control in the U.S. A Dallas city councilman pushed to have the convention moved to a new city, as it took place after numerous mass shootings, including a high school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people in February, and the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people last October—the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history. This year’s convention was the largest ever, with 87,154 attendees. Next: April 26-28, 2019
Photo: Courtesy of the N.R.A.