The pro-Second Amendment group Gun Owners of America announced Thursday their first-ever summit to be held in August in Knoxville, Tennessee, saying it aims to draw tens of thousands of attendees with the goal of being the “premiere event” for firearms enthusiasts.
The event, titled the Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit, will be held just months before the pivotal 2024 presidential election, which GOA’s senior vice president, Erich Pratt, says is going to be “the most critical in history for Second Amendment rights,” according to a press release.
“With that in mind, our goal is to make this the premiere event bringing together Second Amendment enthusiasts and advocates as we prepare for the political fight of our lives this November. I can’t wait to reveal more details as we lock in speakers and other guests of honor,” Pratt added.
The Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit comes as the nation’s most powerful gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association, is in legal jeopardy over the New York attorney general’s claims that its top executives engaged in mass corruption. According to internal audits, revenue for the NRA is down more than 40% since 2016 as legal costs are amounting to tens of millions per year, the New York Times reported.
The two-day GOA event is slated to begin Friday, Aug. 16, and will feature talks from “leaders in the gun rights movement, educational panels, meet and greet sessions, and musical performances from major artists.”
Additionally, admission will be free for GOA members, and all attendees will be allowed to “lawfully carry while in attendance,” according to a press release.
The inaugural event comes in the wake of numerous legal challenges across the country against various gun control measures due to the fallout of the Supreme Court’s summer 2022 decision in Bruen v. New York Rifle & Pistol Assn., which developed a “historical tradition” approach to determine the scope of Second Amendment protections.
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On Wednesday, GOA filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking that the nine justices take up its challenge to New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act, which was passed in response to the Bruen decision.
The petition asks the justices to strike several components of the Empire State law, including measures that have already faced lower court scrutiny like requiring concealed carry license applicants to display “good moral character,” provide four “character references,” and requirements to undergo 18 hours of training, which GOA says is an increase from the “existing 4-hour requirement.”
