Cape Town - During his speech at the pro-gun conference for the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the weekend, former US president Donald Trump called on the Washington government to prioritise funding for school security in the country instead of sending aid to war-torn Ukraine.
The three-day annual convention in Houston comes just days after the mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
“We spent trillions in Iraq and Afghanistan and got nothing for it. Before we nation-build the rest of the world, we should be building safe schools for our own children in our own nation,” said Trump.
Trump went on to reject calls on tightening gun controls and added that “decent Americans should be allowed firearms to defend themselves” against evil.
According to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), the annual convention, which is hosted by the country's most powerful gun lobby group, took place after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus.
Meanwhile, Texas governor Greg Abbott and lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, both Republicans, have cancelled their in-person appearance at the convention due to the Uvalde massacre.
“While a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an NRA member, I would not want my appearance today to bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all those suffering in Uvalde,” Patrick said on Friday.
IOL