National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre was overwhelmingly re-elected to his position as head of the controversial guns-rights organization, amid national outrage over gun violence. There were at least 11 mass shootings in the U.S. over Memorial Day weekend, less than a week after the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead, many of them young students. The NRA convention was held over the weekend in spite of impassioned calls to cancel out of respect for the recent tragedies; earlier this month 10 people were killed in a racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. Several entertainers dropped out of the convention, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott canceled his appearance. Former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spoke at the event in Houston. “I am honored to continue my work for the NRA, and to join our members in their campaign to promote responsible gun ownership and defend Second Amendment freedom for all law-abiding Americans,” LaPierre said in a statement following his re-election.
