>> welcome to the 2023 ila leadership program. the program will continue soon. please take your seats.

>> we welcome you to the 2023 ila leadership forum, please welcome to the state president of the national rifle association charles l kotten. [applause] >> thank you, folks. there is a little bit of false advertising involved with me being here today. they say, hey charles you get to shoot a cannon. they did not tell me it would be a t-shirt cannon. it was fun anyway. i was worried about being too close to the first few rose.

-- rows. ladies and gentlemen let's get the formalities out of the way. welcome to indianapolis for the -- [applause] 152nd nra annual meeting an exhibit as well as the nra-ila forum. for me a lot of folks, i cannot say this is the most exciting part of the week that we got here, but it is a great time. with some folks that really impact our lives all over this country. some of it local. some on the national level. we get to hear them in a setting where it is just different. i listen to a lot of folks in office and running for office. in this particular form, there is different. perhaps is the fact they know they are here with thousands of folks that are like-minded on so

very very many issues. [applause] again, let's get this show on the road. to begin the program, -- please stand with me and join in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of united states of america. to the republic. for which it stands. one nation. under god. indivisible. with liberty and justice for all. thank you folks. [applause] hang on a second. if you would please remain standing. we have a local indianapolis opera sopranos outperformed the national anthem for us. i me tell you her name and go ahead and answer the question will be asking.

she is brooke. >> ♪ josé can you say -- oh say can you see, dawn's early light, what so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night

that our flag was still there, o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ [applause] >> thank you, brooke. i was afraid i had already worn out my welcome they would take me of the stage. [laughter]

it is a great opportunity for me to be able to introduce wayne lapierre to the crowd. not that he needs any introduction. i have known wayne for between two years i have been on the board of directors. -- 22 years i've been on the board of directors. i know him closely, many more years than that, he has been fighting for us for 40 years. i have the chance to work with wayne on almost a daily basis. one of the things that always impressed me, and the relationship that we have with wayne. what he has done for the second amendment, for the nra, and not only for the millions of nra members, but for the hundreds of millions, 150 million american gun owners. i have the chance to look around

indianapolis a little bit, not as much as i would like. i saw the war memorial. i can honestly say. i am not just saying this because i happen to be standing in indianapolis. it is the most impressive war memorial i think i've ever seen. from the ground level and from the hotel where you can really get a panoramic picture of what it really looks like. if i have any my fellow native texans here. you probably heard me say this before. those of you that have, please bear with me for a moment if you will. my heroes have always been the 185 men that defended the alamo. they knew they were going to die. they knew they were trading

their lives for 13 days. for sam houston to put a ragtag volunteer army together. and win freedom and independence for what became the republic of texas. the men who stood on the wall, for three assaults, the only thing inside the wall of the alamo, a couple of movies are fairly accurate about it. there's a chapel. that is what people tend to remember. there was little bit more than that but precious little. there are other walls. and men on that wall and women on that wall. inside that wall, not in alamo chapel, although that is very dear to most texans. inside that wall is freedom. inside that wall are our families. inside that wall is the ability

to not only enjoy firearms. i certainly do, i am a collector, a competitive shooter, a hunter, i love using firearms for self-defense. time and time again. the highest use for a firearm in my opinion. and i daresay in yours as well. is a protection of innocent life. that too is inside that wall. [applause] 40 years. 40 years taking all the arrows, insult, and attacks that one man should never have to take is way luckier -- wayne lapierre. he has been on that wall with countless other folks. many who sit here right now. the difference is the wall the alamo bought time.

13 days to be exact. it ultimately led to the battle of san jacinto. which gained taxes it's freedom. sadly the wall i talk about now to protect our freedom will never see and end. the sad truth is there always needs to be new folks to climb up on that wall and fight. folks. my dad was a world war ii combat vet. he taught me from a very early age. we tend to throw around the world -- word friend and call people friends. a bit too often more often than not, they are really acquaintances, perhaps people that share the same love and desires. a true friend, is going to be there, for you. no matter what they have to face. i can honestly say we not fear

-- when l'affaire -- wayne is our friend. give us a warm and welcome, to your friend of mine, to the executive vice president of the nra. [applause] thank you. thank you. >> thank you charles and what a great nra president we have. welcome all of you and thank you very much. believe it or not this is my 45th year with the national rifle association. if i ever write a book about my experiences with the nra. i think i will call it, when you fight like hell for freedom you get more of it. that is how it really works and you all know that, like here in indiana.

law-abiding gun owners nola grant to get government position -- permission to carry a firearm for self-defense. it is called constitutional carry. hoosiers have it because nra members fought like hell for freedom and got more of it. [applause] in fact, and ra members have liberated more than --nra members have liberated more than half the nation with constitutional carry. we're not stopping until it is the law of the land in all of the land. i promise you that. [applause] i know we will get there. because i have watched you, nra members, fight like hell for freedom. and get more of it. and win over and over and over again. you, teachers, police officers,

lawyers, cashiers, electricians, nurses, surgeons, truck drivers. you, moms and dads. educated your kids about freedom every day. you, democrats, republicans, independents. you young hunters and old collectors. you paper punchers and safety instructors. you, men and women of the nra you fight like hell for freedom and you get more of it. you do not need, and i know you know this, you do not need government to tell you the sky is blue. water is wet. or that you had the god-given right to self-defense. [applause] our founding fathers said the

second amendment freedom arrived the day you were born and it shall not be infringed. [applause] the ruling class, they hate that. they are up there right now. you are who they fly over. who they look down on. who they write off. well, i will tell you something. that is a big mistake. i did not care how many billionaires, tiktok stars, hollywood airheads they got. here this. gun hating politicians should never go to bed unafraid of what this association and all of our liens of members can do to their political careers. [applause]

because you, fight like hell for freedom and you get more of it. one member a time -- at a time. 145 dollars membership at a time. one doorbell, one vote at a time. you show up you stand on because of all, you fight and you win. what you say? let's fight like hell for freedom and let's get more of it. thank you very much. [applause] thank you very much. i tell you we do it altogether.

that is how it gets done. thank you. last time we were here in indianapolis, our next speaker stood on this very stage and signed legislation to improve your right to self-defense. he did not stop there. last year he signed legislation that said law-abiding gun owners can exercise the right to carry without government approval. it is called constitutional carry. thanks to his leadership the right to keep and bear arms is alive and well in indiana. the disenchantment please give me a warm hoosier welcome to your governor eric holcomb. [applause] eric: thank you, thank you and thank you wayne. thank you all for being here and carving out time for this very important because we all share.

and keep so close to us. each time i've had the absolute privilege of addressing you, this body, i think you might beautiful bride janet should have been the one to have the invitation stand before you. some of you sounds like you know her, after all she was just down the street earlier today hosting the women's leadership forum luncheon. as she has done in years past. for the record. we are both nra lifetime members. [applause] but, she's a certified nra pistol instructor. who hunts wild boar hanging from a helicopter. and sheep up in the cold rainy yukon some 200 yards away.

because she can do a great stock. like mei improve. and she hunts elk outside of trinidad, annalee with her friend the first lady of wyoming. just last week wrote dear east of barcelona spain. there is no barcelona spain in the state of indiana. i asked her, is there not enough deer in north or south america that you have to go to europe to bring one home? i am guessing, you are thinking what i learned long ago. since we do not argue i sleep better than anyone on planet earth. let me just say, and i can for both janet and myself. if you have traveled here from across state lines, look into indiana. we are known as the crossroads of america.

as the heart of the heartland. i think this week, especially this week you will see exactly why we have acquired that reputation. if you'll permit me very quickly , a shameless plug for several for that matter. perhaps you flew in somewhere else, you came through our airport, number one ranked airport in north america the last 10 straight years. if you drove you might have noticed some construction out there. the orange cones and barrels that look like our new official state flower because they are sprouting up everywhere. that is because of the number one ranked infrastructure program, fully funded not get financed -- debt financed by the way. here in indiana, as my predecessor mike pence can attest to.

and the state let us lose that certain indiana general assembly, they can attest to this as well. we balance our budgets every year. [applause] we cut taxes and then resend the excesses back to taxpayers by way of a budget formula. the fact is we are to have low taxes and they are getting lower. right now as we all gather our high quality place is getting higher. that is one of the reasons why indiana was ranked the number one state in the nation to start a business according to forbes. that should resonate in this hall, knowing there is a lot business owners among us. you are in a state, where we help, we make it our business to help you, as sportsmen, collectors, we help make your dreams come true with an

abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. that i'm sure our indiana apartment of natural resources can explained more to you about in a booth in the halls down weightier. -- a way here. we are home to the nra's national marksmanship competition center. that attracts civilian, law-enforcement, military competitors alike, 2002 we hosted the prestigious pershing match coming 2024 we will host the world shooting sports championship. i hope you all come back, next april to see the most skilled shooters in the world in action right here in indiana. speaking of that, you are in a state that could not be, as my two predecessors at this podium just articulated, a state that

could not be more grateful for uniform heroes. who keep our nations flag and all it represents flying high over this land of the free. because of their bravery, you are surrounded by patriots not just in this hall but order to border in the state of indiana. [applause] yes, we fully exercise our constitutional rights, we put our money where our mouth is and we invest in those that protect them and our laws, and our safety. ladies and joma do not 90 place in america more supportive of your, our second amendment then here in indiana. [applause] one more thing. coming biased. -- call me biased.

you will not find a state that rules out the welcome mat like we do. it is in our dna. we know how to go big. we host the single biggest sporting event in the planet earth, called the indy 500. 300,000 of our closest friends descend upon that track, inside by the way. if you have not been on that race put on your bucket list you have an invitation from me. i promise you you will be glad you attended. we hosted all 68 teams for the ncaa march madness a couple of years ago. we posted the super bowl, more college basketball and football national championship than i can count. no matter how long you been here a vector in hoosier soil i hope you will consider yourself home. i hope you will consider yourself an honorary hoosier.

ladies and joma thank you again for gathering here in indiana. thank you, thank you, thank you for standing strong on this side of freedom, on this side of the law. may the good lord bless our great nation and state and to everyone your lives and livelihoods, god bless. [applause] >> of the -- other way. ladies and gentlemen the 48th vice president of the united states. mike pence.

♪ mao -- mike: hello nra. >> we love you mike. mike: i love you too. let's think wayne for his leadership, the introduction he knows i prefer is pretty short i make christian, conservative, republican in that order and it is my honor to welcome the nra- ila back to indiana. thank you all for coming. [applause] it really is good to be back with all the patriots in the nra.

men and women who stand on the ramparts of freedom. defending all the god-given liberties enshrined in the constitution of the united states every day. with your support, trump and his administration championed freedom for 4 michael years. every single day we stood without apology for the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. [applause] with your support we achieve the lowest unemployment come the highest household income, the most pro-american trade deals, most the cure border in the most powerful military in the history of the world. stronger than ever before. maybe most important, we appointed conservatives to every court in the land including the highest court. we gave america a new beginning for the right to life.

[applause] this last june that conservative majority on the rear -- on the supreme court recognized a constitutional right to self-defense exists not just inside the home but outside the home as well. i am incredibly proud to say the majority in the decision included all three of the supreme court justices are administration appointed to the highest court in the land. thank you for your support for those years, thing for the honor of serving as your vice president. the greatest honor of my life. [applause] my life has changed a lot since the last time i stood at this podium. standing before the nra. two years ago we moved back here to indiana. bought five acres and a pond.

i got a riding mower. john deere, 54 inch deck, zero turn radius, 25 horsepower. one of the great things about no longer being vice president is you get to drive your own car. one of the bad things is you get to pay for your own gas. maybe most important of all. karen and i are the proud parents of three we have become grandparents three times over in the last two years. [applause] man. we find it. out the reason we had kids was to have grandkids. [laughter] times have changed for us all, haven't they? in many ways today our country is almost unrecognizable from what it was just a few short years ago. today our borders are under siege. inflation is at a 40 year high. gas prices are through the roof.

crime is skyrocketing in our cities. real wages are falling and the national debt is piling into a mountain range for our children and grandchildren. the confidence and pride the lift the american spirit to new heights if years ago has been replaced with national fear and uncertainty. all across the country a crime wave is wreaking havoc in our largest democrats run cities. left-wing district attorneys are refusing to prosecute terminals. left-wing politicians have slashed police funding and blanketed airwaves with incendiary rhetoric that feels calyx, -- fuels chaos. danger -- endangering american lives. i have come to say enough is enough. it is time we took a stand for america and for freedom. the truth is, as we stand here

today america freedom is under attack as never before. big media, big government, big business has locked arms to advance a pernicious radical left agenda trampling on free enterprise. freedom of speech. freedom of religion. and the right to keep and bear arms. not in one million years could anyone have imagined that an american credit card company would someday collude with liberal politicians to track, monitor, shame, eventually shut down legal gun store purchases. that is exactly what is happening as we speak. i promise you, with a new republican congress and a new republican president out -- we will kick these liberal meddler is out of our gun stores and out of your lives. [applause] you know. the elites in washington have

never been more out of touch with the values of everyday americans. nevermore intend on imposing their agenda on each and every one of us. anyone who dares to disagree with the left-wing dogma is targeted for harassment and ridicule. they want to take away your freedom of speech. they want to take away our religious liberties. as you all well know, they want to take away the. . rights to keep and bear arms 90 make you a promise. as long as there is breath and -- in my lungs, i will stand with you to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. [applause] we gather today at the nra-ila leadership forum. a very 10 -- at a very

challenging time in our nation. in the wake of tragic violence that struck the heartland in recent days. christian school nashville tennessee and a bank branch in louisville kentucky. the bible says we mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who grieve. i know i speak with everyone here. when i say our hearts and our prayers are with all the families that suffered loss and injury into these attacks. ignoring the motivations of trans activist that killed three children and three adults that christian school in nashville and ignoring the mental health challenge of the men who killed five people and injured eight others in louisville, president biden and the democrats have returned to the same tired arguments. about gun control and gun confiscation. we did not need gun control.

we need crime control. we do not need lectures about the liberties of law abiding. citizens we need solutions to protect our kids. [applause] i say to joe biden and the gun-control extremists. give up your pipedreams of gun compensation in this free society. stop endangering our lives with gun bans and stop tramping on the rights of the american people every time tragedy happens. instead you could actually join us in doing things that would bring real solutions and enhance safety to america's families. taking steps to end violent crime in major cities, confront

the scourge of mental health in this country that is claiming lives every year. while you're at it. why don't you secure the southern border of the united states of america and end the tidal wave of illegal immigrants and drugs pouring into our city. [applause] as a grandfather of those three little girls i will tell you from my heart. i am tired of it. i am tired of the excuses. the predictable blame shifting. the pointless calls for gun control against law-abiding americans. i am tired of senseless violence and the loss of life that could be prevented if our leaders would support law enforcement. protect our schools. institutionalize the obviously mentally ill. enacted legislation that anyone

thinking of heinous acts of mass shooting knows it will face justice in phase just as swiftly. those are real solutions. and begins with electing leaders. who will stand without apology with the men and women of long boards meant and -- law enforcement and end the defund the police movement once and for all. [applause] you know, the police officers in nashville and louisville rushed in without regard to the personal. they engage the assailants after they were injured. they deserve the thanks and gratitude and admiration of every american. [applause]

so we need to support and back the blue. secondly with joe biden spending trillions of dollars on their liberal agenda, i think the time has come for leaders in our nation's capital to give every community in the country the funds to place armed resource officers in every public and private school in america. in the wake of the sandy hook shooting. right after i was elected governor in 2012. we enacted legislation in the hoosier state to do just that. the most prosperous nation in the history of the world can afford to protect our kids. it will just take leadership to do it. [applause]

to stand with law enforcement, protect our kids, finally the assailants in the most recent attacks were taken up by law-enforcement on the scene, too many mass shooters languish in prison for years. men and women. i do not have to tell you. justice delayed is justice denied. it is inconceivable to me, that the shooter who killed 17 people at marjory stoneman douglas high school in 2018, is languishing in a florida prison. i believe the time has come to institute a federal death penalty statute with accelerated appeal to ensure that those who engage in mass shootings face execution in months, not years.

[applause] finally. with so much violence taking place. at the hands of those with severe mental illness. the answer to mass shootings is not fewer guns. but, it is more institutional mental health in this country. in the 1960's liberals emptied our psych wards. only to fill our streets and ultimately our prisons with the mentally ill. today more than 20% of our prison population have serious mental illness. the truth is. these people should not be in prison. they never should've been allowed on the streets to commit the crimes that they committed. when my last acts as governor of

indiana before i became your vice president. we broke ground here in the future state on the first new mental health hospital to be built in 30 years. men and women. we have got to get back to institutional mental health care in this country. families with someone who is struggling, a threat to themselves or a threat to others has to have a place to send that family member. other than the county lockup. we have to rebuild institutional mental health care in america. [applause] while the other side talks reflexively about gun control, these are real solutions. backing the blue, protecting our kids, advancing policies to ensure the that justice is swept. dealing with the dangerously mentally ill with men --

institutional care. it will take new leadership to get these done. when the government allows rampant crime. or even worse when it encourages rampant crime with wax prosecutors in major cities. government -- on liberty itself. i do not need to tell you, the constitution of the united states is the greatest charter for freedom in the history of mankind. [applause] it is the foundation of who we are. most prosperous and free nation the world has ever known. now more than ever. america needs the voices of the millions of patriots of the nra to stand up. to stand on. the constitution of the united states. more and more it seems like there are two kinds of people in

this country. those that believe the constitution says that they wanted to say. those that believe the constitution says what it means. i am looking out at all of you, i know you know the constitution says what it means and means what it says. and so do i. and i will always stand on the constitution of the united states and defend all the god-given liberties enshrined there. so help me god. [applause] people are knocking it was understand when you make that stand. and not have the tell people to defend the second amendment. criticism may come. i am here in closing to urge you to stand your ground. in these challenging times we need read him loving americans everywhere.

stand your ground on the foundation of the constitution of the united states. stand your ground by continuing to educate this rising generation about the foundation of our freedom. stand your ground by electing tenant women at every level of government believe in and will support and defend the principles enshrined in our nation's charter. as you stand your ground. in these troubled times for our nation. if you are inclined to bow the head and band the knee i encourage you to do that to. . this country is in a lot of trouble. we need healing in america we need to bring our nation together around our highest ideals. as you go forth from the city and return to your homes. i encourage you to remember those engine words -- ancient

words. if those people who are called by his name will humble themselves and pray and return. he will do like he is always done in the long story history of this country. he would hear from heaven. he will heal this land, this one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. thank you for the honor of serving. thank you for being here in the hoosier state. thank you for your strong and unwavering stand for freedom. god bless you all. ♪

>> all right. what a day. a pleasure to and use our next speaker. as the 46th governor of arkansas he is always signed and supported gun legislation. he has over had the courage to defend the rights to keep and bear arms. several years ago this man stepped up to help nra and develop a real solutions to help keep americans schools save. together we assembled a task force, homeland security experts, law-enforcement trainers, and school security professionals. the result is the nra's school shield program.

that given a chance, to work, can keep our kids safe. here is governor asa hutchinson. asa: thank you wayne. such a privilege to be here at the nra today. thank you for fighting for our freedom through the years. i just finished 8 years as governor of arkansas. it was during that time that we created jobs, lower taxes, we improved education. we shrunk. the size of government. one of the things that is just as important as anything else, is to support the second amendment and our freedoms that we enjoy as americans. i have stood with the nra through my time in public service. it has been my honor to do that

for over 20 years. as a member of congress i was on the judiciary committee. i did battle with the second amendment with liberals such as barney frank. we fought the battle and we stood firm. when i was asked by president bush to be a part of the department of homeland security, the largest government reorganization in 50 years. i have responsibility for the order security. we did not get it perfect, let me tell you it is a lot better than it was today and what joe biden has done. whenever you look at the border security, whenever you look at the transportation networks, i was pleased to work with the nra to make sure that our men and women who carried firearms can do it safely on an airplane. you can make sure you can go hunting. we made sure the rules

accommodated our outdoorsman. then it was after the newtown tragedy. in which we lost young people in a school. i was asked by the nra, to lead the school shield initiative. as wayne mentioned i put together an assembly of former secret service, law-enforcement, educators. we looked at the schools. we looked at what we need to do to better protect our children. we did a national study. we made recommendations. you can still look at that. and those recommendations have made a difference in our society. we have moved in that direction in which we understand, fundamentally in a school, if you are going to protect children you need to have armed personnel to protect the children. [applause] asa: and so in arkansas, we not

only put school resource officers that were trained in law enforcement techniques. we also authorized school personnel to be trained and to be commissioned as a commission officer to carry a firearm in the school and protect the children. [applause] asa: we understood the best protection is an armed personnel in order to protect children from an armed intruder. the time of response is critical. that is why we wanted to make sure that the school had the personnel there that was trained and ready to respond to the quickest action. we did that, an example in arkansas. now we have over 80 schools in which we have over 500 commissioned personnel of the school that have been trained to

carry a firearm and use it and execute it if necessary to protect the children. that is being duplicated across the country and we need to make sure we need -- we continue to support that effort. i supported the second amendment and a lot of different capacities. most recently as governor of arkansas. not only was it my joy to support the second amendment, but also those firearms manufacturing companies need a home. i said you can come to arkansas. you can have a home where we welcome you. i was delighted to recruit sig sauer to come to arkansas and yelled and ammunition plant. [applause] now i am here before you as a candidate or president of the united states. i guarantee you i will continue

to stand with the nra. i will continue to stand for the second abutment and the fight that we have --the second amendment and the fight we have in front of us. we have challenges we face in america. there is the threat of violence in our cities. where urban mayors and chiefs of police are not doing their duty. my answer to the challenge of violence in our society are three simple words. that is, enforce the law. [applause] asa: after the tragic order of george floyd there were protests across america. many of those turned violent. little rock was no exception. i witnessed the violence and i said -- our local law enforcement is not getting the job done. there were threats people,

burning buildings, i said enough is enough. i called the state police out. i called the national guard out. i said we are going to enforce the law. that night we arrested 70 violent criminals. guess what happened? the violence stopped. you enforce the law, you enforce the law. i did that as united states attorney and we need to set that example across america. today we have a struggling economy where you are hit with high interest rates and high inflation. it is all the root cause and comes from excessive federal spending in washington dc. we need to slow it down. we need to get a rain on it. we need to balance our budget. we need to get back to spending

normalcy so you are not hit with inflation and high interest rates. [laughter] [applause] asa: america needs to be strong. right now we are struggling in america because we are perceived as weak. by our adversaries. which started in our disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan. in which our enemies said, this is a good time to go into ukraine by russia. china has been more aggressive towards why wan. america needs to be strong. america needs to lead. we should not retreat. it is important for america to lead and show strength and not weakness. yes, we have a dysfunctional southern border. we need to put more order resources there. we need to make sure we support the border patrol that is doing the job.

we need to go after the cartels in mexico that are controlling the border and sending them to know into the united states of america that is killing 100,000 of our young people every. year. . [applause] asa: these are truly foreign terrorist organizations is. to be designated as such. we need to have a pro growth energy policy in the united states. we should not have our leaders going to venezuela and saudi arabia and saying, can you please produce more oil? let's produce energy in united states of america so it can be independent and dominant. [applause] asa: we need to stop the leftist social agenda that is coming out of washington that is impacting

our schools, communities, businesses. we need to say enough is enough. these are challenges that we face. i want to come back to something that buys president penn's about. the tragedies we have seen most recently in some of our schools and businesses. our hearts go out to them. -- something that vice president mike pence talked about, the treasures we've seen is about our schools and businesses and my heart goes out to them, we need to enhance security in the schools in the safety of our children. let'scontinue to address our nation's mental health issues. and the critical nature that the deficient mental health services have left our country with, we need to enhance those services, address the mental acuity challenges that are faced in our

society. we have done that in arkansas by enhancing the crisis stabilization units. so that if someone has a mental health crisis, and they come in contact with law enforcement, they can be given the help that they need versus filling up our jails. these are things that are practical and common sense. we need to enhance what we've done in arkansas, the will we need to problems and make sure that we issue our firearms, but we need to keep them out of the hands of those that are cohabited by law from having them. that is simple, common sense to keep us safe. ladies and gentlemen, i am a son of the heartland. i am proud to be from arkansas. i am proud to grow up in a farm.

i am proud to understand hard work and initiative and responsibility. i am proud to stand with you to protect our freedoms, to protect our second amendment. when we look at the future, we need a president in the white house that understands the importance of the second amendment and the ability of citizens to protect themselves and to exercise their constitutional rights. we do not have that right now. we need to win in 2024 to make sure that we have those protections. i challenge you today that we should beat joe biden in 2024. he is praying right now yes. he is hoping right now that he has to have a repeat of 2020. let me tell you. we don't need a rerun of 2020. let's bring new leadership. let's win in 2024.

we will break our liberties, our borders, our sovereignty of the nine states and that america can live. god bless america. god bless you. >> please welcome the pastor nra president kate robinson and the chairman of the nra law enforcement committee sharon prince. >> it is hard to see with all these lights, but i want to tell you something about my partner. he is a retired sheriff and a member of the law enforcement many.

he is usually the biggest vote-getter in national connection -- elections. congratulations. now, i hope we will all listen carefully to this. i'm going to talk to someone in the audience, and we are going to announce an award, a serious award. listen carefully to this. it is a tough story about what a cop goes through. it was in august of 2022 last year in oklahoma city. deputies from the oklahoma county sheriff's office went to a residence to serve a court order. the target was loaded at the front door. he was located by deputy norton. he went to the rear of the house where sergeant swarts and deputy johns was position. communication failed when we

will call him target or the fog, when he began firing bullets through the doors, striking and killing sergeant schwartz. deputy johns pulled schwartz out of the gunfire and provided aid while trying to keep track of the thugs location. he moved through the house to engage deputy norton at the front. the shooter ran out of the house and fired from a new location. they exchanged gunfire. deputy johns was hit. he was knocked down with a rifle round, damaging his femoral artery and launching shrapnel into his gut. deputy johns continued to refer

-- return gunfire as the gunman ran back into the house. the thugs suddenly, believe this, the thugs suddenly led the residence, jumped into the vehicle with a bow attached, and sped array well firing at deputies and their vehicles. with the county deputies and officers in hot pursuit, he attempted to run through the security gate at the air force base where he was captured. despite being critically wounded in the incident, deputy marks continue to return fire, protect schwartz, and himself. his actions and courage under fire were a credit to the department, the community serve, and the highest standards cap of

law enforcement. now, it is with great honor and pride that the association names deputy mark johns as the 22 nra law enforcement officer of the year. he is right over there.

god bless that man and law enforcement in general. thank you. please direct your attention to the screen for a video message from the former secretary of state mike pompeo. >> hello. i am mike pompeo. a fellow mra -- nra member. i hope you have a great time at the show. what you do is matter.

checking the right to bear arms. don't step away from the fight. god bless you and congratulations for being at another show reinstated. good luck. >> please direct your attention to the screen for a special message from ron desantis. >> hello. this is ron desantis. i want to thank the national rifle association for all you do to preserve, protect and defend the second amendment right of the american people. the second amendment ensures that american people have pacitti to defend their lives,

origin and sacred honor. it is the last backstop of freedom. the foundation on which all other rights rest. there are some today to see the second amendment as an outdated remnant of a bygone era it the capacity of people to defend themselves as the basis of them being able to rule themselves. it is no coincidence that drought history, one of the first things that authoritarian regimes have ought to do was to disarm their own citizens. i find it curious that the same people who are advocating for this tend to be the same people who express hostility for gun rights. they want criminals to have the upper hand over law-abiding citizens -- law-abiding citizens. as governor, i have resisted calls to take up gun control, even when it is superficially unpopular because i understand it is precisely those moments when a right is unpopular that it needs a true champion. like we do with other issues in florida, we've gone on offense to expand gun rights. i called the legislature to expand the ability to protect ourselves and others, and all they hold dear. we deliver. earlier this month, i signed into law a constitutional carry legislation that will bring florida into line with 25 other states that recognize the fundamental right of nonbinding american citizens to keep and bear arms without a government issued permission slip because of the effort in florida. we now have a majority of states

in this country that recognize this right. in state capitals across the country we pave the way for legislation to get across the finish line. we are also concerned about how the pluralization of our economy and the advancement of efg and wo capital has threatened implications for sub -- secondment rights. too many financial institutions have discrimination in the firearm industry, including the owners of gun stores. these wealthy interests are trying to oppose an anti-second amendment agenda on society, and agenda they could never successfully advanced for the normal put a process. we are enacting protections

against woke financial institutions. nobody should be discriminated against because they are gun owners or because they are involved in the gun industry. finally, we cannot allow administrative agencies to enact gun restriction for administrative fiat. we oppose that and we will fight back against that. i want to thank you for standing for freedom. thank you for standing for our constitution. i am glad to have had your support for efforts in florida, keep it up, and god bless america. >> please direct your attention to the screen or a special message from former u.s. ambassador and south carolina governor nikki haley. >> hello. i am coming to you from iowa. i am sorry i am not there with you. i will be at might daughter's wedding. this is a happy time for our family. the nra has been a great partner for a long time. when i was governor, we work together as i expanded the capital doctrine. we back constitutional carry. we peds reciprocity, and there

was so much more. i am a concealed weapon permit holder myself. my husband is a hunter, and we value the fact that citizens have a right to protect themselves. know that you always have a friend to me. if they try to take away our constitutional rights, i will thank you for meeting with me and for always fighting the good fight and i look forward to seeing you soon. >> the united states senator from south carolina. tim scott has a video message for all nra members. >> hello tim scott here. thank you for endorsing my 2020 two campaign with the u.s. senate. we were very successful in your support was a part of that. i'm excited to have an a rating by the nra. i will always stand to make sure americans are the best and safest people on earth rate unfortunately, the radical left

want americans to be unsafe and unarmed. but not on my watch. even on the banking committee, we are trying to stop banks from unthinking as gun manufacturers. this is a place where we have to take a stand. the constitution guarantees our second amendment rights. i will stand with each and everyone of you, and protect what we all know is commonsense sense. god bless you. >> since first taking office, our next speaker has been a dedicated defender of the right to bear arms. as a candidate, she promised to eliminate her right to carry in south dakota. once elected, she wasted no time in making good on that promise.

the very first piece of legislation she signed as governor was constitutional carry. ladies and gentlemen. the 33rd governor of south carolina. how about kristi noem. >> it is so wonderful to be with so many friends. are you excited? god bless america. charlton heston once said those dead old white guys who invented this country knew what they were talking about. so often, all we need to do to

inspire us for future rights is to look at the examples of the past. our founding fathers and former leaders turned in a visionary path for our country. they created an exceptional experiment for freedom. personal responsibility would withstand centuries of storms and challenges. to keep what they've built, we must be people who act on values and characters rather than our personal benefits. so much of who we are is determined by how we were raised listen. i did not grow up in politics. on our farm, we didn't talk about politics. we lived them. we had a gun cabinet in our living room. we had a shotgun hanging in the back window of every tractor. our family vacation was even a hunting trip. long before i ever ran for office, i became a lifetime member of the nra.

my dad taught us life lessons. he taught us common sense. often, those were taught during hunting trips. as soon as we were old enough to ride a horse, he would take us hunting. he would guide us by horseback through the wilderness to help -- hunt elk. i didn't know it then, but those hunting trips gave me a lot of confidence. they help me become a problem solver. for instance, i remember being only nine or 10 years old. we had hunted all day, miles from camp and the high country in a bighorn mountain. my dad turned to me and he said kristi, on your way back to camp. i'm going to go around this ridge and i will meet you there at dark. he disappeared over the ridge. now, to a 10-year-old girl, this was terrifying. as strange noises came and darkness fell, i had to rely on my instincts and my horse to find my way back to our tent. years later, my mom shared with me that he had followed me all

the way back to camp. just to make sure i got there safe. before you get all warm and fuzzy on him, i also want to tell you that he made bear noises the whole time he was following me. scratching trees and growling at me. you know, he made sure i lived, but he wanted me to be live scared. but he made me stronger. he also made me realize that i could conquer challenges put in front of me. it made me who i am today. that is the first female governor of the state of south dakota. with me today, i have my husband, brian. he has been with me every step of the way for the last 31 years. i want to thank him for all of his support, but also the amazing family that we have been blessed with. speaking of family, i have three

kids, to son-in-law's, and did you know i'm also a grandmother. just once but twice. i have two beautiful grandchildren. for those of you with grandchildren, there is no question as to why we get up every day and fight. we get up and we fight for our values. little miss addie and others, we

bring so much joy. they bring his purpose. now, soon, we will need these. i want to reassure you that we have a shot one and she has a rifle. she's got a pony name sparkle, so the girl is set up. there is a very famous quote that says those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. some would look at what is happening today and they would call this time unprecedented. unforeseen. i would say the opposite. it all sounds and it looks and feels tragically familiar. we have been here before. a country that is arguing over policies, public that is discouraged by the lack of public discourse. violence in our streets and our schools. families grieving for their children. loved ones that were destroyed by a range maniac no reason. a white house that is so hell-bent on grabbing power and controlling your life that they will do anything and not stop at anything to take it away. they will take what your last tool of defense. the second amendment is about deterrence. it is about ensuring the government respects the right and liberty of citizens a well regulated militia is necessary

for the security of a state. the right of people to keep and bear arms. it shall not be in -- infringed. those words are freedoms last line of defense. founders understood that without an armed citizenry, authentic freedom could not survive. how did they know this? what was their circumstance? when did they know about the

temptation to seize power. how fragile could freedom be? what were they drawing on? first, they were drawing on their own experience. the founders knew they would never have survived the revolutionary war had they not own their own weapons. the first battle of the revolutionary war, the battle of lexington and concorde, started when 800 and -- expertly trained soldiers came to seize the weapons of the citizens. those colonists, those americans were untrained. they only had their personal weapons, their muskets and pistols to fight back. one american name samuel whitmore was 78 years old. think about that. in the 1770's, the life expectancy was less than 40, but on the british retreat, he hid behind a wall on his property. they ambush the british all by himself. he shot with a personal musket, and then shot more with a dueling pistol. all of those soldiers died from their wounds. for his heroism, he was shot in the cheek vanity 6 times, and club repeatedly. they left him there to die. he refused to. he got medical treatment and he lived another 18 years.

he lived to see american independence secured. to see the ratification of the constitution. to see george washington elected as the first president of the united states. when the revolutionary war was over, samuel whitmore would go down in history as the oldest and bravest militiamen. that is how they won the revolutionary war. continental challenge the empire with the same firearms that they used to hunt squirrels and hear and see their families. men like samuel whitmore did not ask for permission from the government to own their own firearms. they did not need it. god gave them that right. samuel descended his own personal property with his own personal weapons. he defended his own freedom. we don't have any idea what heart is.

we don't have an oppressive foreign government that is marching across our land and threatening to take everything from us. but we have a part we need to play to defend our liberty. god gave you those liberties. god gave you the right to defend yourself and your family. our government recognizes that right. but we do not have to ask permission to defend it. each of us needs to be bold and brave like samuel whitmore. it doesn't matter if you are 18 or 78. what else did the founding generation understand? they knew human nature. in 17 75, thomas payne laid it out. with avarice and ambitious, they plagued the heart of man. the week will become prey to the strong. the history of every age of nations establishes this truth. the little arguments prove themselves.

today, i admit that the future looks uncertain. i would say that clearly, it can be found. the answer study in the past trying to do better. let's be teachable. the national rifle association has leaders who stand in the vortex for us today. wayne and susan. we see them and their family walking through a fire, and we are grateful for that. but we should also look at the headlines from 25 years ago and see what we can learn for today. i want to reference a washington post article from june 9 of 1998. it summarizes where we stood then in a battle for freedom, and it reflects much of our reality. the post reported the following. the national rifle association installed charlton heston as new president today, and they mildly applauded the pledge to hear the organization back to the political mainstream from which

it was described as the fringe of american life. the choice of heston was seen in a large part as a response to the public relation problem for the nra. they had intensified because of several school shootings and rising calls for stricter gun laws opposed by the group. having the right message matters. you asked why am here today. why do i support the nra? i don't look like a traditional nra member. the media would have us believe that the nra is only made up of white guys. and all of you old white guys can be proud to raise your hand. but there are a lot of other people. a lot of diversity in the nra. let me tell you something. i may be a mom and a grandma, but i am the nra.

our daughters and granddaughters, every granddaughters the american -- nra. i didn't know i could be a hunter until i saw my grandmother was a hunter, and she was a pretty funder -- famous duck hunter. she was good. posted the article went on to say that he rozen power provide the need to soften the public image. he called school shootings a child issue and not a gun issue. he reasserted the nra's long-standing position that violence grows from unraveling family value and week prosecutors and judges. he also added a new twist. he called on the white house to acknowledge gun violations go on but thought -- on prosecuted. he called on the justice department to execute every

violation one city. he said this would cut -- include attempt to buy guns which are rarely prosecuted, including violent crimes. he pulled no punches in his first day as president. referring to the second amendment, he said those dead old white guys who invented this country knew what they were talking about. this article is from 25 years ago. that conversation is so relevant for today. what if prosecutors actually did their jobs instead of going on political attack. one of the laws we had today were actually enforced. what if when tragedy happens, they bow their heads and they prayed for wisdom and discernment on how to heal hearts and minds rather than debate the methods used by those in society who did harm.

our problems are not new. the threat is greater. every time our country stands in the path of danger, it is patriots who hear the call. even the most common man deserves common freedom. we must be resolved to take action. why do liberals want our gun? it is because it will make things easier for them to infringe on all of our other rights. as the late great justice scalia wrote, history shows that tyrants illuminate a militia consisting of all the able-bodied men but not by banning militia but simply taking away people's arms and enabling a select militia to suppress political opponents. biden hasn't done that yet, but why is that? why haven't they achieved their goal? it is because of you. because each of you and everyone

of you in the nra. because you have successfully held off legislation that would in range on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. we have kept rights from being infringed. in the last few years, we have seen the government overstepped its authority's more than ever before. it interest export covid, but lockdowns. as seemingly, the only way to stop us. in fact, until it was refused, and it wasn't the only state to refuse any lockdowns, i don't know if any leaders realize there was another option. i was shocked at how quickly people give up their freedoms.

they go to churches so people willing give religions. politician secant go to groups, so they gave up assembly. politicians work with social media companies to stifle defense. people willingly gave up their freedom of speech. i think people could learn from the nra. this is not a group of people who gave up the god-given constitutional rights willingly. i spent a lot of time outdoors in the pandemic. sometimes you need a break on the fear and the paranoia going on on tv and in all the newspapers. i family often goes to relax at a cabin or go fishing. go pheasant hunting. one day, i made a video of me shooting a pheasant. i don't know if you saw it. i turned to the camera after shooting a bird and said less covid, more hunting, and the

liberals melted down on me. i was embarrassed by that video because it took me three shots to drop that bird. i was little out of practice. i was making fun of myself and i needed more hunting. it wasn't my best day shooting, and i shouldn't have been surprised when all of the liberal media came unglued and came after. i couldn't believe that i would say less covid, more hunting. i was kind of can use buy it. if they want more covid or less hunting. since then, we've had less covid, so thank god. and we've had plenty more hunting. in fact, south dakota has the best pheasant hunting in the world. if you haven't come to enjoy it, you should. but south dakota's greatest asset is our people. the state motto is under god, the people rule. and while enduring many challenges over the last several years, we have work to turn those challenges into opportunities. we are striving as a result of embracing liberty.

we are setting standards is the most second amendment state in the nation. the very first bill i signed guaranteed constitutional carry for all law-abiding south dakota's. i signed legislation to block state and local government from being able to use this declaration as an excuse to infringe on second amendment rights. we strengthen our stand your ground log. we updated the definition of a loaded firearm. we made it easy to respond to situations when seconds count, and we made south dakota second largest fee for the concealed carry permit. we even pay for your federal background check. it will not cost a penny to

exercise your rights in south dakota. while leadership in washington dc failed to deliver solutions for the nation, our state will take action. south dakota enjoys the strongest economy in the country. the lowest unemployment and unprecedented economic growth make no mistake. freedom generates those blessings. winston churchill once said never give in. never give in. except to convictions of honor and good sense. here, my honor and good sense require me to fight for freedom. that is what i will do. as i look around this room, i see resolute bases preparing to stand up for honor and good sense. you are prepared to defend our rights to keep and bear arms. i also see the media at the back of the room.

they insist we are crazy for doing this. they are prepared to shame us and demonizes. they will attack me for giving a speech about what i said. if they think that will stop me, they are not paying attention during this pandemic. it is not just the media and big government. it's not just the medium they government that are attacking our rights. now we seem banking institutions go after industries that they disagree with. have you seen them cancel loans and hold us to different standard than the left treats us. none are more impacted than those who support the second amendment. not on my watch. i won't stand on it in south dakota. i'd like to ask wayne if you

will come back out here and join me on stage. today, i am signing an executive order to protect your rights to keep and bear arms from being infringed on initial institutions. welcome wayne to the stage. >> today i will sign an executive order to protect the god-given right to prevent the rice from being infringed upon. my order, effective immediately block state agencies from contracting with large banks. to discriminate against firearm related industries. wayne, and 1787, thomas jefferson wrote a letter. james madison, he talked about how committed he was to freedom.

he made a point in latin, but it translates as i prefer dangerous freedoms over peaceful slavery. today, >> a much her. diva microphone. i get to put words in your mouth. you're doing great. wayne is grateful for doing this for the honore. >> for all the great states, god bless you. >> thank you. stay right there.

this is executive order number 2023 -- 04. the state of south dakota office of the governor will sign in on behalf of those industries related to the gun and firearm industry from being discriminated against by a financial institution. banking, credit card or otherwise. there you go. thank you. i will wrap up and then we will go. as you leave here today, i want you to remember this quote.

what thomas jefferson wrote. i prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery. may we all leave here today inspired by our history. and the blessings we all enjoy. as well as the burden of responsibility that rests on your shoulders and never give in. never. our freedom is in your hands. thank you.

>> so about that. our next speaker has worked long and hard for legislators to pass a constitutional carry. it is the same freedom as their neighbors in vermont. but it wasn't until this man took office in 2017 that constitutional carry became a reality in new hampshire. since then, he has vetoed all anti-gun legislation that reaches desk. please jump in. straight from the live free or die state, the 82nd governor of new hampshire, chris sununu had >> all right. hold on. all right. are you excited? come on.

indianapolis, back for the first time in a few years. this is awesome. we have a full crowd. we have a full room. i was walking on the floor and seeing incredible manufacturers. walking around, getting excited about not just the second amendment at the politics and all that. we'll get to that, but just the region. the opportunity to be part of something bigger than ourselves. that is what america is all about. a lot of you may know or not know that i am from the live free or die state we are very proud to new hampshire to remind ourselves and the rest of the country, and i always told folks, it is not a motto honor license plates. it is the essence of what we do. how we live. are these teleprompters, who uses teleprompters? really. the heart of that, the heart of live free or die is limited government. low taxes local control and

individual response ability. all of these fundamentals, and i try to remind my other republicans, but the founding fathers had a right as we say, that we could smile. the last thing this country should have been about is the federal government. i am from the government. i am the governor. it wasn't about us. it was not just those of us were solving a problem. the government is not your to solve your problems. doors of opportunity. your family, your school, whatever. you do you. that is what you do. you walk through the store and we fill your needs. not just the opportunity that forced you, that is the old way of doing things. look. the most important thing in this position of power whatever it might be, most important part is to know the limits of that power.

the limit that could be very easy to say, i am right, and i will force that community to do that. we will force that state to do that. i don't care if you are a republican or democrat, you go down a path that is un-american. we are not getting out of that. i'm looking at thousands of people in front of me. it is about you. it is not about us. we have to appreciate this job and responsibility when we represent the citizens we represent. an opportunity that is so much bigger than ourselves. we have to watch these situations, with our neighbors that are running for the school board. we have to have a little bit of that live free or die in us to remember what is the essence that makes this country great. i don't mind saying this, but i see a lot of republicans that i respect very much, but they cave under pressure when it comes to

the second amendment. what is that about? politics get involved and they get pressure on them, and at the end of the day, we have to ourselves out of these politics. you have to say what is best for citizens in this country, and what is best is the opportunity to look. let's face it. i remember a prominent republican a couple years ago, and i think he said, we need to take the guns away first. take them away early he said. what is that about? i am always going to hold folks accountable. not just the left wing, but those in our party. at the end of the day, when we share those ideas of individual responsibility, the team gets bigger. that's what i want. a bigger team. you want more members of the honore. you want more members of the republican party. you will more independent on board. you want the next generation. those are the guys i want to be associated with. those are the guys who are

inspiring us to be bigger than ourselves. not just yelling at us all the time what is with that yelling? i always left that. i feel like my fellow politicians are yelling. no one get 6 -- inspired by yelling. i tried to remind them. it looks like you are enjoying your jobs, but i make governor and i have to say is a great job. it's hard. 24/7. lots of responsibility. i have to be there for anything, on the ball with a system in place to create opportunity for the community. but man, were always yelling. were not going to get it done. talk about politics. i get nervous about 20 for print we don't have independence. if we don't have those votes back on the team, disenfranchised voters, it will not happen. we can yell and scream all we want, but we want winners for tomorrow. so we've got to be inspirational and we have to be big again. bigger than ourselves. obviously, we talk about leadership, we talk about what

happens, we talk about the issue of the day. tragedies. mass shootings. it's real. it's an unprecedented level. every time there's a mass shooting, or a tragedy, what do they do, they blame you. they blame politics and they make a political story out of it. as opposed to saying what is the crux of the issue. we know that. it is undiagnosed mental health. it is a lack of opportunity in schools. it is not supporting law enforcement. is not sros or the hardening of the school. all these things we do, we don't sit back. we pass a law with a red flag. they gave me a red flag and i gave them a red veto. that is what you have to do. i saw some getting excited because they saw constitutional carrying four years. i signed in four weeks because that is what is right.

we saw biden. he may not remember but we do. he starts threatening executive orders. he's just going to do executive orders to complicate firearms and limit them in all sorts. we passed a law in new hampshire that says if you are the federal government, we are the states. shove it. we are not doing it. we are not doing it. my messages think big. think big. think positive. how do you grow or inspire? i get back to how do we grow the nra. how do we get excited about the opportunity to create for tomorrow. not the law, not the imposing regulation, not the penalty on businesses. how do we get excited about opportunities. i am from new hampshire. we are very pro-business if you

have our guys were here somewhere. there are a lot of people. a lot of folks out there. we've got ruger. the redhawk, if you can handle that, the super redhawk, the nine inch barrel. that is pretty impressive. we have a lot of manufacturers. i want this team bigger. i want to make sure we are fighting for the finish line in 2024 when it comes to a presidential race or the center races or what i think are the most important things, the governor races, or we are down to the school board with the most impactful decisions being made for your family and community. i want to make sure we are crushing this thing as a team. we are not even a question. were the days of advertising are important. vote for me because i support a policy. that is old school. we have to influence. we have to use all of the tools at our needs because as bad as the democrats are, they are good at influencing.

they are good at messaging. look what they've done with young people. look what they've done with academia. that is real and happening we can complain about that, we can complain about the left-wing media, or we can do something about it and talk to our families and coworkers. we can inspire folks in our community to get back on this team. let's remember what's at the heart of every american. it's about tomorrow. the opportunity of tomorrow. it is not in our dna as americans to settle. his signer dna to say that the best chance we have is tomorrow. this is america. what the next big idea next generation, whatever that is. that is at the heart of why we are the envy of the world. everyone wants to come to united states. it is not an accident. we create an opportunity. we go back to that. let's remember that when we are talking to folks, we are making this team bigger. what is at our heart as americans. what have we done really well.

what have we done really well the last 200 years. we -- we believe in the individual in the individual and the community. remembrance -- we believe in schools and parents and fundamentals that make is great. we inspire folks to the point that the entire world wants to be here. what is at the heart of all that? a little bit of live free or die. that is what it is. if you want to take that for your state, that's ok. if you want to remind yourself that leave hampshire as a place with no sales tax and no income tax or dividend tax, whatever, you can rethink your life choices on the way home. that is fine. we are open for business. but remember, the what is at the heart of it all. it is you guys. it is the individual. spread that around with nothing you can't stop. at the end of the day, we have to ask if we are going to sit back and whine. or are we going to get it done. let's get it done. thank you.

>> after listening, you know why live free or dies here. if you've ever bought anything, you probably notice the round up. let me tell you. those nickels and dimes really had to add up. they go straight into the nra warchest to fight for your rights. here's what i mean. in the 30 years that midway usa has been rounding up this program, it has donated more than $22 million to help protect and defend the second amendment in the state capitals across the

country. the round up program was born in 1992. it was the brainchild of larry and brander potter feel. founders of midway usa. all of us are grateful to the employees of midway usa and all of the customers who have contributed to this extremely successful program read on behalf of the nra, how about helping me show attitude in especially larry and brander potter field. come out.

>> i am not running for office. but i do believe that the second amendment guarantees the rest. i'm going to tell you a short story. let me make sure you understand who is on the stage with me. brenda, 50 years we've been married. our daughter sarah. grandson. j. granddaughter eliza. you have three generations of potter fields. now, a short story. in our roundup, on the second day of january 1992, 30 years

ago, we started asking customers. this is before the internet. we asked customers if they would roundup in order for the next higher dollar and allow us to donate change to the national endowment for the protection of the second amendment. who can imagine you will need a national endowment to protect the second amendment. that was the nra's idea. all of that money since then has gone to that endowment, and it is all in doubt. all of the money you have contributed, i will ask if there is any midway customer here, since the second day of january in 1992. in that $22 million, there is a

lot of your money here. if descents at a time. the second day of january in 1992, and we are salt lake city. in 1992, we are talking to wayne sheets, staffers. we are talking about roundup because we have been sending money. maybe $7,500. it was a much smaller company at that time. we were talking about that, he was thinking that was such a great deal, and in retrospect, it was, but we could do more. when we get back home, we are going to have a party. we are going to have a party for the nra. we did. we called our friends a group of people, and we said let's plan a party for the nra this fall. the fall of 1992. we got our friends together, and we had a meeting, and we coined the term -- is not that i can't

remember it, i'm just listening to everything i say. we coined a term friend of the nra. the roundup spohn friends of the nra, and you all know what that is. so, thank you for your time. there are now $22 million in doubt. 5% of that goes back to the island. to pay to respond to the litigation in all of the states and cities of america. with your help, and this is your

money, we can do more. thank you. thank you. let's look at those checks. >> they are unbelievable. let me tell you the other thing. they donate to the nra foundation recently. a building to house all of the warehouses. all of the things needed for those -- almost a thousand friends of the nra.

there were 800, but they were building back up. i think it was about a hundred 68,000 square feet. it is with the nra. >> i would like to introduce another great hoosier. he is a freedom fighter in the u.s. senate. he has always stood strong for law enforcement. the bill of rights and law-abiding gun owners. he is an avid sports man with practice and preaches back here exactly what he means in indiana. these german, u.s. senator mike long. how about a big hand for him? >> good afternoon. how many hoosiers do we have?

smartest thing i ever did was when i went away couple years, i decided to move back to my home in jasper indiana. some jasper rights are here. we built this into a national company. when you do something like that, you know you are living for the american dream. i am now a u.s. senator, one of the feistiness and conservative ones that will speak up, fight, every day when i am in d.c. written i will continue to do that area growing up in jasper, i learned the value, the guide beams, very clearly. faith, family, community. love the outdoors as well. 10 years old, dad gave me a single shot 20 gauge stevens that i still used to harvest

squirrels to this day and i tossed that to my kids and grandkids as well. learn the importance of safety, and pass those weapons onto my kids as well. we all learn the same safety rules. the core of our belief is that human life is the most precious thing on her. it must be protected. it is an american right. it is central to our nations history, as much as any other freedom in indiana. we know this. i am proud to represent a state that respects millions of law-abiding gun owners exercising their right to defend themselves and their families. it wasn't too long ago and not too far from here in greenwood, and we were rock by a senseless attack with a coward open fire

in a shopping mall food court, killing three people. thankfully, a brave hoosier jumped into action. he was concealed carrying, and he had trained for this moment. 15 seconds after the first shot was fired, that good samaritan fired the last one, thank goodness. [applause] and you know what he put online right before that? that gun free zones are an easy target. sad. he found out there are good people everywhere who are ready to defend their lives and the lives of their fellow citizens. we honored the memory of the greenwood victims in the senate last year and made a special commendation for that young man for his swift, solid actions.

give that guy a round of applause. [applause] as the greenwood police chief said, he saved many, many lives that day. the good samaritan is a hero and also a reminder that our second amendment rights for self-defense also come with responsibilities, to be well-trained, moral, and always ready. i visit all 9290 counties each year -- all 92 counties each year. we've got to be accessible. if we are going to be conservatives that are going to fight for what is a center-right country, we have got to do a better job than we are doing in d.c. i've met all kinds of hoosiers worried about their second amendment rights being taken away. these days, the conversation coming out of d.c. is not about

how to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, it is about trying to end private gun ownership as we know it. that is not going to happen on my watch. [applause] the biden administration doesn't have the support for their initiatives in congress, but that does not stop there. it's just not guns that they are overreaching on. before i was elected to the senate, i felt the pain of government overreach in the lives of every employee is running my business. i told hoosiers if they send me to d.c., i would fight to drain the swamp, change the status quo . when biden announced his in constitutional -- unconstitutional, immoral vexing mandate -- vaccine mandate, you

know who had to set up? a freshman senator. probably did it. exercise the congressional review act. an thank goodness our supreme court weighed in two weeks later and said, enough is enough. [applause] we took a stand, our office did, against overreach, and we won. it took until this week for president biden to finally end this ridiculous covid emergency declaration. look how long it took. it's been in the rearview mirror for a long time. look at the damage it's done to our country. the president's ability to declare a national emergency and sees extra powers -- seize extra powers presents a threat. that's why i wrote a bill that would prevent the president from declaring a national emergency to impose gun control.

that will be the next thing that will happen. hopefully this passes through congress. he probably won't sign it. but it will make a statement. [applause] speaking of covid, our own government has been hiding what we have in our own intel agencies. senator josh hawley, and i came in together back in 2018, we did the bill that passed in the house, democrat and republican, and finally biden is going to have to reveal what they have been hiding in terms of that until for all this time -- intel for all this time. that came from your freshman senator from indiana. thank you. so we will soon have more information. they've got 90 days to release it. i don't think dr. fauci is going to be in a very good mood after that. [laughter] i am on that committee that

interviews him and there's only one problem, rand paul goes to senators before me and i can tell you he's not in a good mood after rand is done with him. [applause] they are political and appraisers, and the best way to understand -- enterprises, and the best way to understand their side of the aisle and mind especially if you are a main street conservative, they look at the government as their growth business, and operate accordingly, until we as mainstreet conservatives do a better job out there, we are not going to see something different in d.c. i'm going to fight hard to try to change that. here's another thing that occurred. your hard earned money, they have a ruling that came out of their labor department that says you can now invest not on the

rate of return, but on any woke agenda. we got that passed through the house and the senate, and was proud that it initiated biden's first veto. it came from your freshman senator from indiana. [applause] when i ran, i pledged i wouldn't do it more than two terms. the founders never intended to place -- the place to be run by career politicians. the bureaucracy and swamp that goes along with it. [applause] even brought back earmarks. which is sad. it is an example of how so many people out there shrug their shoulders, $18 trillion in debt when i got there, now $31 trillion. our fearless leader puts us $51

trillion in debt. that is shameful, when you borrow money from your kids and grandkids. [applause] someday, someday, maybe we will get a constitutional amendment that gives us term limits and the balanced budget. and i think it is here, closer than what you might think. [applause] all of us here know the federal government is reaching into every part of our lives, trampling the constitution. some on the other side of the break i'll want government -- on the other side of the break i'll want government to completely replace the productive economy and our nuclear family. they want to replace us with them. that is not going to happen. but we as conservatives in d.c. have to articulate it better.

and until we do, i am afraid we are going to be disappointed. we need more fighters. we are going to hear from a couple here in just a moment. my friend, jim jordan, from ohio is coming out. [applause] and then the ultimate outsider is going to close the bay out. president trump. [applause] he came in four times for me when i took out to congressmen and a sitting senator. when he to be populated in our government with outsiders or you can expect more of the same. he is the ultimate outsider. look how well things were running free covid. it is not complicated. -- pre-covid. it is not complicated. let's get back there.

[applause] so, the right to defend yourself and your family, it is in our constitution, it is a moral right and the solemn duty. indiana will always respect the rights of law-abiding americans. hoosiers understand the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happyness depends on the right to defend ourselves and our families. [applause] i will always stand up for americans against the overreach of the federal government into every aspect of our lives at the cost of our constitutional freedoms. count on it, period. thank you. [applause]

>> all you need to know about our next speaker is he is a two-time ncaa wrestling champion, yeah, and he is still taking them to the mat in washington. he chairs the house judiciary committee, and lately you've seen him on tv battling the weaponization of the doj, the fbi, the atf, and even president biden himself. the ladies and gentlemen, from ohio's fourth district, congressman jim jordan. [applause]

>> good to be with the. -- be with you. thank you. sit down, sit down. sit down, i haven't said anything yet. [laughter] how many watched the state address a couple of months back? i always tell folks, if this is as close to pageantry as we got in america -- he didn't say anything that noteworthy in my judgment. but i thought the response afterwards by governor huckabee sanders, did you watch that? i thought she did a great job. and she said, the divide in america today is normal versus crazy. her mother when she said that -- remember when she said that?

think about the left today. it is crazy to say boys compete against girls again sports. -- in sports. it is crazy. god bless these guys for what they do. [applause] it is crazy to say noncitizens should be voting in our elections. but that is what the left wants to do. [applause] how about this one? it is crazy to run a spy the loan -- a spy balloon. the keyword is "spy," it is crazy to let a spy balloon fly clear across the u.s.. not just a balloon, a spy balloon, not from canada, not from panama, but a spy balloon from china, it is crazy to let that fly through the country and then shoot it down. but that is today's life.

it is crazy to use federal tax dollars to indict a former president for no crime, and then when we try to investigate, they take us to court. that is exactly what happened. [applause] it is crazy for the federal agencies to be turned against the american people. to be weaponized against we, the people, like we see. particularly the atf. it is crazy to make you a criminal if you have a stabilizing break for your pistol. but they did that. [applause] and it is crazy to shut down gun dealers for minor paperwork violations. but they are doing that as well. think about it. sometimes you have to think about how serious a time we live in. think about this. first they want to make you a criminal for having the firearm accessory they said was ok for a decade. then they want to shut down the places where you can purchase a firearm. that is from the atf.

in two weeks, we plan on passing legislation that will overturn that atf rule when it comes to the pistol break. down committee -- now in committee. [applause] all those crazy things, that is why what you are doing, standing up for second amendment liberties, for freedom is so darn important. and understand what we are up against. i always say the left has a template. the left has a way they go about business, the same playbook all the time, the left will tell a lie, big media will report the law, big tech will amplify the light, and then when you try to tell the truth, they tell you a racist, fascist, they come after you, the council culture mob, the whole thing comes after you. -- cancel culture mob, the whole thing comes after you. if you are pro-life, you are called a radical traditional catholic. they will try to infiltrate the

church that you go to. it happened just this past week. information we got from the fbi. if you believe in the second amendment, they will call you some maga hillbilly from flyover country, right? that's what they do. i'm in that category. i'm from right next door, god's country, ohio. got some ohioans here? [applause] i just came to say thank you. thank you for being in the fight. thank you for being part of this great organization. this organization that is committed to protecting freedom. i learned a long time ago, good things don't just happen. you want to accomplish things of meaning and significance, you've got to get off the sideline and get in the game. thank you for doing that. it is not easy. you are going to get attacked. you know that. it happens all the time. the press is going to attack you. in the press, they always get it right. if the press is not saying something bad about you, you are probably not doing anything any good, right?

that's just how it works. thomas had a great line when he was talking about the way normal people, like the way they view national media, the way the new new york times looks at things. a lot of truth to that. thank you for being in the fight. thank you for helping the good people who do run for office. who go and fight for the things that make our country special. and in particular, well, you're kind. [applause] thank you. thank you all. thank you. sit down, sit down.

i really want to thank you for helping president trump over these last years. what they've done to this man -- what they've done to a president who did more of what he said he would do when he was leader, commander-in-chief then any -- than any other president i've ever seen. they spied on his campaign. they raided his home. now they indicted him. despite everyone being after him, he said he would reduce regulations. he did. he said he would cut taxes. he did. he said he would build the wall. he did. he said he would build the embassy in jerusalem. he did. a whole bunch of other things he got done. and he did it with everyone -- [applause] he did it -- president trump did it with everyone in that town against him. every democrat was against him. everyone in the mainstream crowd was against him.

half the republicans were against him and all the bureaucracy would against him. but in spite of that, he did what he told us, we the people, he would do. and i so appreciate that attitude. [applause] thank you so much for standing by him. what he's been through. i don't know anyone that could. he stood up to it. he always says this. it's so true, he fights for us. he says they are coming after him because he fights for us, that is so true. let me just finish by saying this -- it is a tough time for our country. and i do believe our freedoms and our rights are under assault. by the very government that is supposed to service. -- serve us. but never forget, it is the greatest country ever and we have risen to the occasion every single time there's been a challenge, every single time there's been some obstacle, some difficulty, we as americans rights of the challenge. we will do it again. we have to have the right attitude.

the attitude that paul talked about. my favorite structure -- my favorite scripture, 4:7, fight the good fight, finish the course, keep the faith. i tell people i love that verse because it is not wimpy, sissy words, it is fight, finish, keep. words of action. words that fit americans. that is our charge, it always has been. [applause] let me just -- number just finish, i tell this story a lot, it captures how great this country, the greatest nation ever, the united states of america, how great this country is. my wife and i, we live just over in ohio north of dayton, we have some good friends in the dayton area who invited us to come down for dinner, this time of year, summer time of year, and they said -- we said, yeah, we will come down, they said, great.

we said, would love to do that. so we go and meet our friends there. we pay the lady at the door like five dollars for the historical society and they take you on a tour of the wright brothers home. and you learn all kinds of neat things about these two amazing americans. you learn about the bicycle shop, you learn about other things they were tinkering and messing with. it was all interesting stuff. you learn all about the family on the house and everything else. the last stop on the tour -- orville's bedroom. they tell you more things about this particular right brother -- wright brother. they finished the tour by showing you two pictures. the first picture they hold up was that very first flight, 1903, north carolina, in this thing they called a plane. and you look at that picture and you are like, "how did that thing get off the ground?" this contraption. the truth is, it merely did.

it flow like 100 feet. -- verily did. -- it barely did. it flew like 100 feet off the ground. they put that picture down and then they hold up a second picture, 44 years later, 1947, chuck yeager breaking the sound barrier in a jet. and i was like -- wow. i didn't remember that. maybe i wasn't paying attention that day in school. i didn't know that. that is amazing. in 44 years, we went from two guys flying 100 feet anything they called a plane -- in a thing they called a plane to another american breaking the sound barrier in a jet. that is the end of the tour. polly and i start walking out that door, and as we are walking out, it hit me, wait a minute, wait a minute, why did they stop there? i represent what part kineta, ohio. the hometown of neil armstrong.

who stepped on the moon. stop and think about it. in 66 years, we went from two americans flying 100 feet, to putting a man on the moon. this country did that in one lifetime. i would argue there is no other nation capable of doing something like that. only this country. so don't ever let anyone tell you this is not the greatest nation ever. and that is worth fighting for. god bless you all. have a great day. [applause] >> what a day. our next speaker is a businessman, investor, author, and patriot, who has made it his mission to take on the woke mob. he stands strong in defense of our constitutional freedoms and the american dream from the great state of ohio, please

welcome, the beck ramaswamy -- vivek ramaswamy. >> thank you all. good to be back in the city of indiana. i grew up in cincinnati, ohio. used to spend a lot of time here. my dad came over from india to this country. we used to ask him, why did you come halfway around the world to cincinnati, ohio? he said he had to be close to his sister who lived in indiana. that of course -- that of course begs the question of why his sister came halfway around the world to fort wayne, indiana. and we joke around, it is the only u.s. state with the word "india." the name of the state. it is good to be back. [laughter] i can from the campaign trail here from new hampshire. ran a bus to appear when i started this morning with an event. i ran a bus -- i ran a bus to appear get i started this morning with an

event. i didn't want to be one of those career politicians that checks the box and meets with you by zoom or whatever. i wanted to be here in person to deliver a personal message. i came here to tell you why he became a gun owner. i will be really honest with you. i came from an immigrant family with an emphasis on math and science. i grew up in an anti-gun household. we didn't grow up hunting. we didn't go sport shooting. i can probably -- if i'm being honest with you, i've got to the shooting range may be less and i can count on two hands. i like it plenty but it's not my main hobby. i'm not going to act like something else. but the reason i became a gun owner is that the second amendment was made for moments like today. i'll tell you this -- [applause] somebody out there, i was walking the halls, asked me a

question, what kind of vendor you own? ar-15. do you know what it stands for? it stands for freedom. that's the real answer, actually. i am going to read you a quote from the constitution. i brought it with me. just for you guys. because it relates the speech i'm about to give. here's the quote. no authority has the right to infringe upon political independence or the right to abrogate individual freedoms. sounds pretty good. that is a quote from article nine of the constitution. of iran. iran has 177 articles in the constitution. we have 10 amendments in our bill of rights. they 177 of them. but you know what they don't have? they don't have a second amendment which means you don't get those other 177. they banned their citizens from owning guns. that is how it works in iran. that is not just an exception.

let me read you a different constitution of a different nation. the unlawful detention or deprivation of freedom is prohibited. the unlawful search of persons of citizens is prohibited. too bad that is from the constitution of china. which will tell you that they offer the same freedoms they do here in the u.s. but you know what the difference is? in china, they don't have a second amendment. they banned their citizens from owning a gun. that is what makes america's bill of rights a reality rather than just an american dream. it is the fact that we have a second amendment that gives heed to every other amendment in the constitution. [applause] even we have not been perfect in this country. i want you to raise your hand if you know when the first anti-gun laws were passed in this country. raise your hand if you do. 1865. you want to know when it happened? we fought a civil war in this

country, to give black americans the equal protection under the law that we failed to secure them in 1776. you want to know what happened? southern states passed anti-laws that stopped like people from owning guns. the democratic party then like now wanted to put them back in chains, that is exactly what they wanted to do. that is how you got jim crow. that is how you got to martin luther king jr. being denied his concealed carry permit wrongly by j edgar hoover's fbi just as the fbi today politicize his behavior against his political opponents today. that is not right. that is not america. and you will know -- and you know who fixed that problem? it is you all, actually, who fixed that problem. the nra is the one that got the job done by securing the rights of black americans to own guns.

that trained black americans in this country to own guns. it was the nra that got that gun -- and as a first-generation american with brown skin myself, let me tell you, thank you for what you did because i grew up in this country in the 1990's where we enjoyed the freedoms that the second amendment secured us, the other freedoms and the bill of rights, that is the america i know. thank you. the america i grew up and is not the america that i see today. today we have a country that says you enjoy free speech rights. yet douglas mackey is now facing up to 10 years in prison for making a joke on the internet about hillary clinton. we tell you that you have property rights in this country yet they will use your pension funds to advance political agendas like telling gun manufacturers that they can't borrow money from banks. they will tell you that we live in a country where we elect the people who actually run the

government. and yet the party in power will use police power to arrest its chief political rivals were former presidents of the u.s. that is not the america that i knew or grew up in. that is not the america that i learned to pledge allegiance to as a nation. the only thing standing in their way is the second amendment. which is why they are now going after the second amendment itself. they tell you, if you own a pistol burst, you have got to be added to a gun registry. that will tell you that they want to pressure kennecott companies to track transactions to add you to that same federal gun registry. the state of washington just last week ending the owning of ar-style rifles. gun manufacturers not being able to borrow money from banks. they will now tell you the state of new york -- believe this or not -- if you want to get a concealed care repairman, new york is now saying that you've got to submit your social media profiles.

so blm or antifa, no problem, there's your gun. not very hard to predict this one. then it is funny that it's the very states and cities that will tell you they want to defund the police and clear the jails, that will also be the ones that stop you from actually defending yourself against the crime they are policies -- that their policies create. what is interesting is one of those cities is austin, texas. where sergeant daniel perry was wrongly convicted for defending himself against a black lives matter rider who was pointing a rifle at him, self-defense is not a crime in this countrym and i stand with -- country, and i stand with governor greg abbott in making sure he receives a pardon, as he is due. thank you. [applause] the second amendment is our last line of defense. you want to know he knew that --

who knew that? our founding flowers knew it. the first shots that were fired in lexington in concord was because the british monarchy came to take the guns of the colonists. they came to take the guns because they knew where the guns and bullets were stored. think of that gun registry today. all founding fathers said, you know what, what the british monarchy did to us, we will create a government to make sure that government never does it to you. that is why they included the second amendment. in god we trust, they said. it is on the bottom of our coins and the bottom of our dollar bills for a reason, because when we say "in god we trust," that means that in government we distrust. that is what it means to be american. that is who we are. we are the explorers. we are the pioneers who came to this country.

whose parents came to this country. whose forefathers came to this country. to be free. to be the explorers. to rome the american terrain without any government telling them what they could or couldn't do. and the reason we are able to do it is because the existence of that second amendment. i will tell you -- you will hear from the other side that while we have school shootings in this country, we have mass shootings, i will tell you there's not a person in this world that wants to see another school shooting in this country. you want to have the courage to deal with it? then step up and deal with the actual problem. we have a mental health epidemic across america. you want to do something? you can ban social media and kids under the age of 15 and 16 before you take guns away from law-abiding adults in america. you want to solve the problem? you better take away -- you want to solve something? drugs on the street, you want to

use our military? don't go and protects him else's border, protect our border here in the u.s. and end the fentanyl crisis. that is how you solve the problem. [applause] the fatherlessness epidemic. 25% of kids are born into families without a household. black lives matter says they want to annihilate the nuclear family structure. you want to know what i say? the nuclear family structure is the best known form of governess to mankind. we actually need to bring back the family because that is actually what creates the shooting problems in this country. fix the problem. [applause] now, that mental health epidemic, where did it come from? it didn't start any vacuum. ok? it started because we are lost in the desert. i'm going to tell you something about myself. i'm 37 years old. . i was born in 1985. i'm the first millennial candidate ever to run for u.s. president as a a republican. i will speak to you on behalf of

my generation. going to tell you something about us. swear that, all of us of every age actually in this country. people are lost. we are hungry for a cause. we are hungry for purpose. and meaning and identity. when the things that used to fill that purpose like faith, patriotism, hard work, family, these things have disappeared. wokeness, gender ideology, transgenderism, the climate, covid cult have taken their place. you ask someone my age what is it mean to be an american, you get a blank stare in response. that is the problem at the heart of our national soul. if we can answer what it means to be an american today, that is how you stop the spread of anxiety and depression and uncertainty and self-doubt. so what does it mean to be american? it means you believe in basic ideas like merit. the idea that you get ahead in this country, not on the color

of your skin is martin luther king said but on the conduct of your character and contributions. in america. may you believe in the rule of law that people like my parents who want to come to this country can come through the front door and make their contributions, but i am sorry, your first act of entering this country cannot be a lawbreaking one. that is not racist or xenophobic, it is what it means to be american. it means we believe -- [applause] thank you. it means we believe in free speech and open debate. because i will tell you this, free speech is a condition for peace in america. you tell people they cannot speak, that is when the screen. you tell people you cannot scream, that is when they tear things down. our founding fathers knew that as well as anybody. they had a dream in this country. it's a dream that i have as a

citizen. that the people who we elect to run the government in america ought to be the people who actually run the government in america, not this administered a bureaucracy that actually runs the show. and that is why -- i will tell you where all start, let's start with the department of education. thank you. [applause] let me hear it. $83 billion a year spent on god knows what race and gender ideology on kids -- shut that down for a quarter of that budget. i've done the math on this. you can put three armed security guards in every school across the sky nation -- across this nation. i've also said that we need to go further, when you have an agency like the fbi that told

martin luther king that they could not have that concealed permit that now tells conservatives effectively the same thing, politicizing the police state against them, you can reform that from the top down. that is why i said what you are not supposed to say but i'm saying it tonight, i will say it again, we will shut down the fbi and replace it with a police apparatus that actually respects the law, instead of making it up. and that apparatus can actually do the job of those background checks. which means that tonight i am pleased to make the announcement that if i'm elected next president of the u.s., we will finally shut down the atf. an agency that is beyond repair. that is the right answer left in the country. and while we are at it, let's make constitutional carry the law of the land and finally put any ban on those efforts to actually make that federal gun registry because they want to be able to find you, just like the british monarch wanted to find the colonists. we are not going to let that

happen. i will say this in closing. our founding fathers, they knew what we were doing. we celebrate today our diversity and our differences. if we get this right, we can actually stand up to the real foreign-policy threats that we face. you want china now to invade taiwan -- not to invade taiwan, here's something to do, the nra can open its branch next time in taiwan. you want to stop xi jinping from invading taiwan? put a gun and every taiwanese household and have them defend themselves. let's see what xi jinping does then. that is what it means to be an actual american. train them how to use guns, just like we did the black people in this country after the civil war. taiwan, we are coming for you. we are with you, taiwan. put a gun in every household. china is not going to do a peep. xi jinping ain't got nothing on

us. that is what it means to be american. do not celebrate your diversity and your differences -- we need to go back and remember all the ways we are really just the same as americans, bound by the common set of ideals that set this nation into motion 250 years ago. e plural persona -- e pluribus unum, from many, one. that is the dream that won the american revolution. that is the dream that won us the world wars and the cold war. that is the dream that still gives hope to the free world. and if we can revive that dream over the identity nonsense, not a world, not a nation, not a corporation, not a virus is going to defeat us. that is what american exceptionalism is all about. and that is what we will revive to save this great nation. thank you. god bless you. god bless your families. god bless the united states of

america. thank you. [applause]

>> all right. let me tell you a story about our next speaker. 30 years ago, i saw our next guest across the room in the new york hotel in a sea of people, i knew who he was, the big apple's real estate developer, but he didn't know me. so i am eating my sandwich, when all of a sudden i see a hand reaching out to me to shake mine, and i hear, hey, wayne, i'm a big supporter of the organization. and that is when a friendship began that i cherish to this day. he has never let us down and never will. take a look at this video, please. [video clip plays] >> this sounds like political presidential talk to me. would you ever run?

>> i just probably wouldn't do it. but i do get tired of seeing what's happening with this country. and if it got so bad, i would never want to rule it out totally because i am really tired of seeing what is happening with this country, how we are really making other people look like kings and we are not. >> inflation in the u.s. is now at 6.5% higher in december compared to a year ago. >> a state of emergency at the texas border. >> went into the news this sunday night for a summer homecoming of 13 brave americans -- somber homecoming of 13 brave americans. >> why would you want to go back to that hellhole? >> because i love the country. >> we have seen month after month solid job growth. >> and we are going to make our country great again.

you are going to be so proud of your country. because we are going to turn it around. fake news. that's right. we will bring back your jobs. we will bring back our orders. no challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of america. i will fight for you with every breath in my body, and i will never, ever let you down. my fellow americans, our movement is far from over. in fact, our fight has only just begun. ♪ ♪

[video clip ends] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 45th president of the united states, president donald j. trump. ♪ >> ♪ and i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and i gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today 'cause there ain't no doubt i love this land god bless the usa from the likes of minnesota to

the hills of tennessee. across the plains of texas from sea to shining sea from detroit down to houston and new york to l.a. where there is pride in every american heart and it's time we stand and say that i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and i gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today 'cause there ain't no doubt i love this land god bless the usa and i'm proud to be an american

where at least i know i'm free and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and i gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today 'cause there ain't no doubt i love this land god bless the usa ♪ ♪ [cheering and applause] >> thank you very much. [crowd chants "usa"] >> well, thank you very much.

i'm thrilled to be back with a hard-working, god-fearing, card-carrying patriots of the nra. thank you very much, everybody. as a candidate in 2016, i promised you that i would save your second amendment from absolute obliteration. that's where it was going. and, as your president, that is exactly what i did. we saved our second amendment and we will save it for a long time to come. it is under siege, but we will save it for a long time to come. forever, as far as i'm concerned. forever. and thank you very much. [applause] i was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-second amendment president you have had in the white house. i think that's been acknowledged. with your support, in 2024, i will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the united states. [cheering and applause]

we have to remember, in 2016, we won, we did but of the second time, we got a lot more boats. that things happened though, didn't they? a lot of bad things happened. i want to thank you for your leadership is all is all the people that work with them, the nra members will make of this incredible organization. and that's really a tremendous effort for freedom. i'm very proud to be here. thanks as well to congressman jim jordan and his incredible wife, polly. [applause] where is jim? he's around here someplace. also with them came along isaac. did you know isaac is a wrestler? four-time all-american. he was good.

jim was a great wrestler. a lot of people don't know that. his daughter-in-law, brooke, she's about to have a baby. i said, once the baby coming? she said it could be today or tomorrow. i said, what are you doing here? but he's a spectacular congressman, politician, and person, i just want to thank jim and the whole family. polly, thank you so much for being here. somebody i believe is going to be your next senator from the great state of indiana, which i love so much, jim banks, wears jim banks -- where's jim banks? jim, hi, jim. he is so popular now, he is unopposed. we like it that way, don't we? thank you very much. you are doing fantastically well. indiana lieutenant governor, suzanne crouch, thank you very much. thank you very much. suzanne, where is suzanne?

thank you very much. also attorney general todd r., he has someplace here. i saw him. a big crowd, todd, thank you very much. doing a great job. for seven years, all of us here today have been engaged in an epic struggle against the corrupt forces and communist me next -- and they are all over the place. -- communist maniacs, and they are all over the place. absolutely trying to destroy our country. they want to take away your guns while opening the jailhouse doors and releasing bloodthirsty criminals into your communities. they want to abolish your borders and impoverish your families while spending your money on endless and very, very stupid foreign wars. they want to demonize patriots and persecute christians while pushing the transgender cult on your children.

children will turn 25 thinking, who did this to me, who did this to me, how did you let this happen? they want to weaponize and interfere with our elections through the use of the doj, the fbi and local attorney generals and district attorneys. that is happening to me, but we are doing very well, thank you. [applause] it's actually called election interference. that is all they want to do. i will tell you what -- if i were not running, which isn't going to happen, or if i was doing badly in the polls, and we are not going to let that happen either, we are killing them in the polls, are using the numbers? they wouldn't be doing anything. -- are you seeing the numbers? they wouldn't be doing anything. they wouldn't be talking. we will show you the polls and a little while. you are going to be amazed. a lot of progress over the last month. we kicked it into high gear like we did for four years when this country had no problems. and then covid came in and we got it back.

when you think about it, it was amazing. we left it with a stock market that was higher than just pre-covid coming in. it was an amazing job that we did. we built it twice. there was nothing like it. what we did in those four years were really monumental. rebuild our military. largest tax cuts in history. largest regulation cuts in history. the creation of the space force. that was a big deal. that was a big deal. and so many other things. even right to try. i hope nobody needs it. right to try, where you can use this advanced -- the advanced medical treatments that won't be approved for five or six years by the fda but we got them to move a lot faster, i will tell you, on everything, but won't be approved by the fda for years and we saved thousands and thousands of lives with right to try. we did a lot. we did a lot. [applause] 2024 is the year that we will

defeat these nation globalists tyrants once and for all. in many rays, the rhinos are worse because you don't know where they are coming from. these are the democrats. you know where they are coming from. and is not a good place, is it? if you put me back in the white house, their rain is over and america will be a free nation once again. -- reign is over and america will be a free nation once again. [applause] and i promise you this, with me at 1600 pennsylvania avenue, no one will lay a finger on your firearms, just as took place for four years when i was your president. i will uphold those glorious words, shall not be infringed. you know those words?

i think you know those words. [applause] every pledge i made to you as a candidate in 2016, i have fulfilled as your president. i appointed nearly 300 federal judges to fill the bench. to interpret the law as written. we have great judges, great justices. i face volatile attacks from the radical left with three supreme court justices, all outstanding people. [applause] they don't help me much. i've got to tell you that. they vote against me too much. [laughter] but it's one of those little things in life, right? but they are outstanding people and great scholars, brilliant. they've done a very good job. except for me, they've done a

very good job. they say, so your tax returns. that wasn't supposed to happen, right? show your tax returns. by the way, i showed them. you know what happened? nothing. they said, "this guy made a lot of money." [applause] standing before you at the nra leadership forum in 2019, i revoked america's signature from the globalists united nations treaty which was a disaster. i never surrendered to the globalist fluff. i always put our term, america first. america first beer but canceled barack hussein obama's corrupt use of social security data to deny americans are gun rights without due process of law. you know that very well. i fought obama's unconstitutional effort to ban 3d printing guns.

i stood up for our hunters, fissures, and sportsmen like no other president has ever done before, opening up millions of acres of federal land and rolling back obama's assaults on hunting, fishing, trapping, and on ammunition itself. [applause] when the radical left democrats tried to use covid to shut down gun sales during the china virus pandemic, i proudly designated gun and ammunition retailers as critical infrastructure. do you remember that? little things like that. [applause] it saved all of them. a lot of them are in the room with us today. my administration also petitioned the supreme court to overturn new york city's unconstitutional -- i mean, so many unconstitutional things are taking place in these democrat run cities.

but it was an unconstitutional ban on transporting handguns outside of the home, and in a landmark case last june, the court affirmed that the right to self-defense does not end when you step outside the front door of your house. [applause] and we did all of this and we did so much more. we are working now and going to finish everything that we started. we finished a lot of it already in the four years. but we have things to do and things to finish and we are going to get that done. we are going to have a big, successful election coming up. we are going to take back that beautiful, gorgeous white house. [applause] on day one of my new term, i will stop joe biden's war on lawful gun owners. it is a war, what they are doing. it's crazy. so many things. no borders, high taxes, everything they do --

i made a speech recently and i use this term and i didn't even know we were using it, every day is like april fools' day. we want no borders, no, no, you've got to have borders,,= we want no walls -- we want no walls, no, you've got to have walls. we want high taxes, no, we want to keep our taxes low. we want no guns, no, we want people to be able to protect themselves and also enjoy it and entertainment and go out and hunt and do the things that you want to do. it is almost like april fools. everything that they do is like -- we want to have a weak military. we want our military to be woke. we rebuilt the entire u.s. military. we had plans that were 48 years old. we built brand-new beautiful jets. we had planes that our grandfathers were flying the same place as her grandson.

we gave $85 billion of it to the taliban in afghanistan. i hate to say this. and probably the most embarrassing single moment in the history of our country, which i believe led to russia going in, they would have never done that with us, that was the most embarrassing time in our nations history. not only that, the soldiers killed. 13 killed. many just horribly, horribly wounded and hurt. no arms, no legs, faces were just so badly hurt. and we left a lot of people there, too. and we give up bagram airbase. i called it a surrender. we were in great shape. if you look back on that history, you will see something that is interesting. i dealt with abdul, the leader of the taliban. i took a lot of heat from the

fake news people act there. they are the ones that were fighting hard. i related to jesse james, the great bank robber, they say why do you always rob banks? he said, that's where the money is. i dealt with abdul, the one who was shooting our young soldiers with snipers. i said, you can't do that, over the phone. if you do that you will suffer like no one will ever suffer, your community will be terrible, your community will be hit. i said, abdul, why do you show me a picture of my home? i said it you will have to figure that out for yourself.

i hadn't lost one soldier in 18 months. not one soldier was even shot at. [applause] we were going to get out with pride and dignity, take all of our equipment out. i told the generals i want every screw, bold, tank, plane, i want every helicopter, i went everything out. sir, can we leave the hangers? no they come out. sir, i think it would be easier to leave the equipment behind. this was millie. that's when i realized he was a fool. i said, you mean to tell me that we have a $100 million airplanes sitting there, you want to leave that? leave the airplane, leave the helicopters, which they did. fill it up with jet fuel and flight to pakistan or home. yes sir, i think it would be a good idea to leave it.

we left $85 billion worth of equipment in afghanistan. i read a report that they are the second largest seller of arms in the whole world. we sell more than they do. they are the second largest. they don't need 700,000 rifles. 700,000 guns and rifles, some of them the finest in the world. some of then our people, people who are so wealthy, wish they could afford the guns we left for the taliban. 70,000 vehicles, many of them armor plated, costing millions of dollars. we left it behind like a bunch of fools. we are led by stupid people. we have never been in such danger in our life.

[applause] i believe it is the most dangerous time in the history of our country. because of the power of weaponry. i am not talking about rifles now. you know what i am talking about. the n word. can't use the and words, to end words you can't use. you can't use the nuclear word. i would never talk about it, i didn't talk about it, and now it is talked about every single day, including by putin. he says, he never said that when i was here. you don't talk about it, is too destructive. now they are talking about it all the time, we have somebody who has no idea what it is. we have never been in such danger because of our leadership. it will take bidens executive order directing the federal government to target the

firearms industry, i will rip it up and throw it out on day one. that will be the first thing that i do. [applause] i will get energy started, we are soon to be energy dominant. i will get that going quickly. you will seek gasoline and heating bill and cooling bills and every other bill, you will see them plummet and you will see inflation start to go away. i will illuminate the biden atf's ridiculous pistol brace roll which orders citizens to register or surrender guns with stabilizing braces. [applause] they wanted me to put that in, i guess some people are happy with it, i don't know. we will pass legislation

protecting the absolute right to self-defense with federal penalties for prosecutorial abuse that we saw in texas. a man was trying to defend himself and they want to put him in jail for the rest of his life. i will ask congress to send a bill ordering national concealed carry reciprocity. [applause] we want protection. just like in drive-ins license, your second amendment much -- must apply across state lines. the biden gun-control agenda is part and parcel of the left-wing crusade to weaponize government against law-abiding citizens while letting criminals roam free. they are all over the place. never seen anything like it, you are afraid to walk through one of these democrat cities, you go out for a loaf of bread, you end up getting shot.

as president, i will end the weaponization of our government including the atf, the fbi and the doj. they weaponize our country. [applause] i will dismantle and destroy the deepest date, we have made a big progress. that includes the gun grabbing bureaucrats who are persecuting gun owners and manufacturers every single day. you people are getting persecuted by these left-wing maniacs. no longer will government targeted the left's political enemies. we will once again target violent criminals. i want to go after the criminals, these are mentally deranged or bad people. we have to go after them and stop worrying about somebody that will never at -- hurt anyone with a gun, just wants it for protection. we will get them behind bars and we will keep them behind bars. you don't even -- now in new

york we have a district attorney, you can kill somebody and you don't have to put up bail. they are out to the next hour, two hours. that's true with many different cities. i don't know -- you talk about april fools' day, who would think this is good? murderers, killers, violent animals are released onto the street immediately. they don't spend time in jail. the first duty of government is to protect its citizens. when you see gangs of hundreds of young people going to attack an apartment -- department store in san francisco and loss angela's and chicago. they run in by the hundreds and run out carrying her fridge raters, air-conditioners, big, little, everything. they empty out the stores.

our police are incredible. but they are not allowed to do their job, they want to do their job so badly. they are shaking, they want to do their job. it would be so easy to do. but they are not allowed to do their job because of these radical lunatics we have thinking they are doing the right thing. i don't think they are doing the right thing. the politically incorrect truth, that no one on the left wants to admit is that violent crime is really committed by illegal gun owners, it is committed by a brutal class of hardened repeat criminals. that is who is doing it. in san francisco, -- [applause] who would have thought san francisco? one of the most viewed full cities in the world. murder suspects have an average of 13.9 prior arrests and 9.2 felony arrests.

shooting suspects have an average of eight prior arrests and nine criminal charges in washington dc, when i saw tents going up i had them take it down immediately. you can't do that on these incredible parks and monuments. they were putting tents up and i would take them down immediately. you can do that much easier than when you have hundreds and thousands, you have to see what has happened to washington dc since i have left. it is horrible. beautiful lawns with tents all over. no respect for our country. no respect for anything. in washington dc, and asked minute 70% of all violent crime involving guns is concentrated among a group of 500 chronic lawbreakers. most suspects arrested 11 times before being involved in a murder.

then they end up getting year. sometimes less, sometimes they are not prosecuted. the only one they want to prosecute his donald trump, let's get trump, let's get that son of a bench. [appthis career criminal class s nothing chicago, three percent f prison inmates who use a gun audit at a store appeared all of the gun owners, who is a gun owner? let's go differently. is there anybody in the room who doesn't own a gun? ise a hand iu he [booing] how many people own guns and sell guns?

good, that's a good business. let's be clear, the issue is not too many guns, the issue is too many thugs, hoodlums and its average criminals on our street, that's what the issue is. [applause] instead of getting these dangerous killers into jail, we have radical da's and attorney generals, prosecutors, all across this country supporting -- some birding -- subverting the law. the very same raging radical left lunatic attorney general that is coming after me in new york state is also waging war on the nra. shamefully trying to destroy this legendary organization that has been an american institution since 1871. when the nra endorsed me, and 2016 for the 2016 campaign. it was fairly early. i have two sons who are really

good shots, i don't know if you know. eric and don, if they were golfers they would be scratch. maybe better than scratch, they are really good, they have been a member of nra for a long time. that was considered one of the greatest things, that was like getting into the wharton school of finance or getting into harvard, or getting into a great college. they endorsed me very early, it was a great honor, we did a great job. a better endorsed me again. [laughter] [applause] they are going to have some explaining to do. they will have some explain to do. i think we -- i do believe we are in good shape. when you see the polls, you will understand that we are in good shape. i have never seen such spirit as there is right now. part of that sadly is because they are doing such a horrible job of running our country, which is destroying our country. i think it makes us even more

popular. they are doing such a horrible job. what they are doing is destroying our great country. i want to congratulate you for fighting it so bravely, all of the things that have been happening to you, the racist and -- ran for office on, i will get trump. didn't know anything about me, running for office. i said, who is that maniac? a lot of people in the race, you get a few people to vote, very few people it takes to get in. she proclaimed i look forward to going into the office of attorney general every civil day , suing him and going home, very happy. i see -- i said, i hope she gets in. what is fueling my soul right now, she announced, is getting trump. she knows nothing about me. it's not an investigation.

it's a persecution. just like her attacks on the nra and the witchhunts against us by the manhattan d.a., the marxist d.a. in atlanta and the guy i have a watching -- the guy from washington, special prosecutor, special counsel, i call it a prosecutor, it's better. biden has a 1850 boxes that are unaccounted for. he had many boxes in chinatown. classified information, many boxes. they got them out of there, but they got caught. that's called obstruction. they sent them up to boston. then it was revealed he got millions of dollars from the chinese. but he has boxes in chinatown, boxes all over the place. they don't care about that, they only care about trump. they are trying to arrest their

political opposition. it's very much like the old soviet union. with the elections and interference. they are interfering with the election. it's going to be hard for them to get away with the kind of corruption they did when they had covid, because covid made a lot of things bad for a lot of people. they cheated and it will be hard. i believe they are going to prosecutorial way. where they use prosecutors -- my numbers have gone way up. other people -- [applause] because you know me. the truth is the american public knows me well, they know that is not my deal. they don't know a lot of people running for office, if you have a young, good republican running, he gets a subpoena, and they leak it out to the papers, it's impossible for this guy to win a race. but the good news is we have

gone way up. we have done something that i don't believe has been ever done before. we are going to go even higher if we can. i'm not sure you can go higher. we are going to go even higher, because we have to save our country. they are not coming after me, they are coming after you, i'm just in the way. i'm in the way of these people. [applause] as everybody knows, it's all because we are leading so big in the polls. not only against republicans but also against joe wyden -- joe biden. i led the field by 33 points, trump 56, desantis 23, hence five. i hope you gave pence a good, warm approval. [booing]

he is a nice man, if you want to know the truth, he's a good man. you made news today. with the introduction you gave. nikki haley, she is at four. abbott is at one. i don't know if he is going to run, the governor of texas. in a poll in florida, it was trump 47 and desantis a 32%. there was another poll where trump was at 80 and desantis was at 50. in texas, it is trump 52%, desantis 20. pence and five, haley four. the only way we can lose is if we go defense. we will never go prevent. you can see some of these things

posted. they are big polls. massachusetts, we are leading by almost 50 points. in new hampshire, we are leading by a lot, in iowa, the farmers can never vote for me. i have china to pay the farmers $28 billion for the damage they caused. i said you have to pay. if you see some of these, i thought you would put them up. they used to always announce polls, only if they are good. when they were good, i used to drive the opposition crazy. we are leading biden by seven points, nine points and 10 points. i am the one they don't want to run against. that's why they are coming after me. if they wanted me to run, they would say, he is the most perfect human being we have ever seen. instead they put these monsters, these radical left people in.

they are the party of disinformation. what they say, you can usually go the opposite. they say we want to run against trump, in the meantime they have 5000 prosecute suited -- prosecutors after my ass. by the way, please take him out of politics. they are the party of disinformation and misinformation, they are pretty close. they are engaging in election interferes on a historic scale. nobody outside of the country has ever seen anything like what is happening now with the prosecutors, these marxist prosecutors who release rapists and murderers while persecuting conservatives on day one of my new a ministration, i will erect the doj with a very strong leader.

not like barr, -- you don't do anything. all of a sudden, he said, if you see any wrongdoing in the election. my young son saw a lot of wrongdoing in the election. did anybody in this room, can they say they didn't see any wrong -- that was the worst horror show, one of the greatest criminal acts ever, the election of 2020. [applause] we will turn that around, it will be even bigger. it will be even bigger, if you think about it, it will be even bigger. it will be bigger than having one. they have shown so bad, they want to show us, they have showed us. we have no energy, we have massive crime, our military doesn't work, nobody respects us in the whole world.

there is not a leader who respects our leader. we will show them, through this horrible for years we are going through, the problem is we can't take any more of it. because we won't have a country left. we will show them that we could do things and we will be able to do things on crime and other elements of society. things you probably wouldn't have been able to do if you carried it forward. i think it's actually much bigger, could be much bigger than if we went the traditional route. i will directed the doj to investigate every radical doj -- da and attorney general in the united states. [applause] i will appoint a team of warrior u.s. attorneys. i know some rate ones, including from this area. who will be the polar opposite of the soros district attorneys.

who can believe -- they are not stupid people. they are either stupid or they hate our country. i don't think they are stupid. anybody that can cheat so well at an election, they are not stupid. that means they hate our country, i believe they hate our country. they will be the 100 most ferocious crime fighters in american history, i will test them with demolishing every gain, street group and terminal network and they can find, piece until public safety is fully restored. that means in democrat run cities. [applause] at the top of the list is a washington pc itself, which is absolutely plagued by numbers in crime that no one has ever seen before. we have never seen anything like what is happening in washington

dc. can you imagine foreign leaders coming over and looking at this filth and squalor and crime in our capital? we have to take it over, we have to take over management of our capital, the people that are running it, including the mayor, who did nothing about january 6, he was the one, we don't need anybody. along with crazy nancy pelosi, they did absolutely nothing. they were in charge of it. all of our democrat run cities are being absolutely ruined and destroyed as we sit here and talk. they are being ruined. i will order the atf to stop bullying gun store owners and wanting to shut them down for paperwork errors and instead go after drug dealers, human traffickers and criminal cartels. [applause] which is what they should be going after. under biden, other countries are

emptying out their prisons, insane asylums and mental institutions and sending them right here to the usa. can you imagine? prisons and mental institutions are being emptied out. i read a story where a man who takes care of a large segment of people in a mental institution in a south american country, sounded like a great man. he said he no lung or has anything to do. he used to work 24 hour taste. he said all of our patients have been released into the united states of america. this is what we have, this is what we have allowed to happen. we can't allow this to happen, we will not have a country any longer. can't allow it to happen. under my leadership, we will quickly restore the most secure order in u.s. history. we have the strongest border in history, and now we have the worst border in the history of the world. no country, even a third world country, would allow what is

happening to us to happen to them. the first reconciliation bill i signed for a massive increase in border patrol, brandon judd and all of his people to an incredible job. all of the people that work with them, they want to do their job. it's going to be a colossal increase in the number of ice and border patrol. following the eisenhower model, dwight eisenhower was tough on the subject. we would use all necessary state, local and military resources to carry out the largest domestic deportation system in american history. [applause]

i will ask every state and federal agency to identify every known or suspected gang member in america and every one of them that is illegally, we will pick them up and send them back to the country from which they came. as we restore safety to our streets. [applause] we have no choice. as we read store safety to our streets we must also restore it to our schools, we have to harden our assets to protect our children against threats of any kind. last month our hearts were shattered by the news of the monstrous attack on a christian elementary school in nashville. it claimed the lives of three adults and three precious children. today we wrap those beautiful families and our love and lift them up in our prayers. we salute the law enforcement heroes who ran into danger and took out that killer. with the speed and skill that made us all very proud. [applause] that made us all very, very

proud. it is a scandal and a tragedy that year after year, democrats in washington continue to hold common sense school safety measures hostage to their radical gun control agenda. which would do nothing to prevent attacks from demented individuals, of which we have many, many are coming to our country, but we are getting them out. there was no talk of massacres of schoolchildren until the year 2000, that's when it started, they started talking about it. this is not a gun problem, this is a mental health problem, this is a social problem, a cultural problem, this is a spiritual problem. [applause] each and every one of these heinous attacks depend on the

same cold-blooded calculation, that the evil monster will have a window of time to act out their demonic fantasy on challenge, they want to be on challenge, they don't want challenge. the only way to stop these acts is to be sure that any sicko who would shoot up a school knows that, within seconds, they will face certain death. they have to know that. and they won't be doing it. [applause] for this reason i will ask congress to repeal an effective legislation that makes it harder to protect our schools and easier for criminals to face no opposition. i will clear the new tax credit to reimburse any teacher for the full cost of a concealed carry a firearm and training from highly qualified experts. who is better? [applause] if even 5% of teachers, were

people skilled with arms, we want that. 5% will voluntarily armed and trained to stop active shooters, we would achieve returns and the problem would cease to exist. that would be a lot of people, but these are people that are trained and talented with firearms. for $12 billion, we can fund armed security guards at the entrance of every school in america and also arm every willing teacher. we want to arm some of these teachers, they have to go to through rigorous, some people say vigorous, training, they will do better than anyone. they love our children. if we can send 120 billion dollars to ukraine, we can afford 1/10 of that amount to protect american children and american schools. [applause]

we need to drastically change our approach to mental health. i will direct to the fda to -- it will happen quickly. to convene an independent outside panel to investigate whether transgender mormon -- hormone treatments increase the risk of extreme depression, aggression and violence. i think most of us know the answer. we have to look at whether common psychiatric drugs, as well as genetically engineered cannabis and other narcotics are causing psychotic breaks. a lot of problems, we are having problems we have never seen before. people think they understand why. we must be better at detecting warning signs of people, disturbed young men like the one who murdered colleagues in louisville. we cannot rest until we get to the bottom of all of the sickness we are seeing in our

country. i will fight to restore our safety and i will fight to reclaim our freedom. we were going to have -- we are going to have freedom in this country. we will be able to go down the street, up by a loaf of bread, and not be shot. [applause] to defend our constitution and the rule of law, i will give you my word today, that i will appoint rocksolid constitutional conservatives to crush the communists from our federal bench. they are communists, many of them. we did a great job. [applause] we set a record. before election day 2024, i will release the full list of names from which i select my appointments to united states supreme court. so everyone can see who i am thinking about putting there. either that last time and a lot of people said it made a big difference. it will be an awesome loss of --

and a great lion of american liberty, justice, -- justice clarence thomas. by the way, they are after him now. [applause] they are after clarence now. he can take care of himself very well. conservatives can no longer sit by and wait for the courts to save america. our country is being plundered and ransacked by radical left barbarians who are trying to burn down every right and liberty that we hold so dear. the next time we have power, congress has to step up and stop this marxist revolution. have a marxist revolution going on. i think you are starting to see it. we have to stop it fast. this is what we must do to save our country. [applause]

with your vote and a republican house and republican senate, we have a good chance, i will lead the rebirth of american freedom. we will build a future where we are free of crime, violence and fear. there is fear. where we are free from dependence on foreign countries, we are so dependent on so many foreign countries, and particular china. we are free from the shackles of an unelected deep estate from corrupt intelligence agencies, free from war, free from poverty , free to speak our minds and last but not least, free to keep and bear arms. [applause] in closing, the usa is a mess.

our economy is crashing, inflation is out of control, russia has joined with china, unthinkable. saudi arabia, great people, have joined with iran. china, russia, iran, north korea have formed together as a menacing and destructive coalition. our currency is crashing and we will soon no longer be the world standard. which will be our greatest defeat in 200 years, was on think will a few years ago. but it is happening before your very eyes. we won't let it happen, with me, not even a chance, just like russia would never have invaded ukraine, and china would not be having even a thought of raiding taiwan. you didn't hear about these things when i was president. if you took the five worst presidents in the history of the united states, and added them

up, they would not have done near the destruction to our country as joe biden and the aydin administration have done. [applause] we are failing -- we are a failing nation. we are a nation in decline. now these are radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using a law enforcement. he can't let that happen. with all of this being said, and with a very dark cloud hanging over our country, i have no doubt that we will together, as a group, make america great again. i have no doubt. [applause] thank you, thank you very much. god bless you all, god bless you. [applause] ♪

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