Think the OTC is the only show in town? No sir, it’s time to think again…
While it is true the vast majority of overseas visitors heading into Houston over the past few days are destined for the behemoth that is Reliant Park, and its hundreds of stands worth of technology at the heart of the oil and gas sector, there’s also the small matter of 75,000 very loyal, hardcore Americans here to assert their right to defend the second amendment of the constitution – namely, the right to keep and bear arms.
Downtown at the George R Brown Convention Centre, tens of thousands of good American folk wandered the halls and looked at the 500-or so exhibitors displaying all manner of weapons, gun technology, outfits, holsters, safes, knives and crossbows.
It’s unnerving to see so many semi-automatic and automatic rifles on display. You are encouraged to pick up and feel the weight and power of guns that can shoot anything up to and beyond 6,800 rounds a minute, and whose lethal prowess is blatantly obvious. For those of us not used to handling weapons, picking up a .357 Magnum is somewhat surreal, frightening and totally unnerving – yet mums, dads, kids and grannies handled them no differently than they would a mobile phone or TV remote control. A Glock or Smith and Wesson is just an every day item to be found around the home – usually locked away, of course, or in the bedside cabinet in case of intruders.
It is not part of our culture, of course, so all of this may seem a tad odd but this right to keep and bear arms lies at the very essence of how the United States came about and how many wish its government should remain: keeping its nose out of the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens.
Except…the whole essence of gun ownership and freedom to bear arms is big news Stateside at the moment – not least because of that school shooting – and the subject of massively heated debate across the media and amongst ordinary citizens.
Outside the massive convention centre, as the queues began to build, hardy volunteers stood beside bold posters bearing images of Barrack Obama, but with a twist. His image was that of a president held in contempt; a Hitler-style haircut and cropped moustache added to his face. The demand was for him to be impeached or worse… Visitors were signing petitions in their droves, clear that the President was on the wrong side in this fight.
These aren’t mad folk, just ordinary people who have a passion for guns. From young children not yet able to walk, to the oldest of hunting enthusiasts, they were all there and with one thing in common. They were all members of the NRA. Many proudly wore T-shirts extolling their lifetime membership. For this was the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting and conference. You can’t get in unless you are a member but anyone is welcome to join.
Everywhere people smiled, the welcomes were heartfelt and honest and nobody saw this as anything but a normal family day out. Everyone was happy to chat, to talk the latest twist in the debate over gun control or to explain the capability of the stock – and show you how it works. For those of us unused to it, it makes you jump to turn the corner and see someone pointing a state-of-the-art assault rifle at you as they test the range finder. They’re not loaded, of course, but it is no less unnerving for that.
Of course, this being Texas you would expect a massive support for gun usage; the state retains its right to secede from the union and there are a growing number of those who wish it would do so. This is not natural Obama territory – this is Charlton Heston land…
The NRA convention was a small but fascinating insight into the battle which rages here at the moment. Groups wandered the hall seeking support for free public access to guns. A lone guy with cropped hair bore a T-shirt stating ‘Cops for legalisation of pot’. Below it bore the plea: “Stop me to discuss”. Only in America.
So the OTC may be the biggest show in town at the moment but it’s not the only one – and that’s before the international Quilt Festival and it’s 50,000 members descend on the city.
Houston. It’s a fascinating and amazing place to be…