>> thank you. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, you are kind which we do it all together one by one and people like you all over this country. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you houston and good morning. colonel north, i really appreciate your kind words. you are a genuine american hero and for your service to god, to our country and to your n.r.a., we all salute you colonel and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. [applause]

at this gathering one year ago i predicted that our freedom might soon face its greatest threat ever. i spent the past year warning gun owners all over this country that have re-elected president obama would launch an all out historic attack against our second amendment and the personal freedom of hundreds of millions of law abiding americans. when i said that the news media called me paranoid, obama vehemently denied his anti-gun agenda, mocked us. they even went to the extent of passing out fliers saying he would protect our rights. and a lot of americans were deceived into believing him. deceived.

it sure didn't take long for barack obama to show himself, the real barack obama. even before he was sworn into office, before his inauguration, the president launched an all out historic attack, a siege against our rights from gun bans to magazine bans to convoluted schemes of registration of every gun owner in america, from executive orders voted on by non-to vice presidential conventions and a flurry of legislative attacks to treaties to gut our second amendment. speeches and anti-gun rallies, media appearances and the heavy handed weight of the presidential bully pulpit. there is nothing the president will not do to get something, anything through congress to

advance his agenda to destroy our second amendment, nothing. so far, thanks to you and millions of americans all over this country just like you, that is exactly what president obama has gotten, absolutely nothing. [applause] a lot of men and women in the u.s. house and senate have stood up to the president and they have defended our freedom. they have taken a lot of heat from the president, michael bloomberg and the media. so it's really important that they hear from every n.r.a. member, every gun owner, every american who values our freedom in our great country, to those senators and congressmen who

have stood with the second amendment, we say thank you and ask to you keep defending our rights. [applause] you have stood with us and you have also represented the people in your home states. let there be no doubt we stand firmly with you. that's important because while the senate vote less than two weeks ago was significant, it's but one skirmish in what can only be defined as a long war against our constitutional rights. as we is it here this morning we're in the midst of a once in a generation fight for everything that we care about. we have a chance to secure our freedom for a generation or lose it for ever. we must remain vigilant. we must remain ever resolute and

steadfastly growing and preparing for even the more critical battles that loom before us. i am proud to report as i stand in front of you this morning that the state of our n.r.a. is stronger and larger than it has ever been. [applause] you and americans like you made that happen all over the country. our commitment to freedom is unwavering and our growth is unprecedented. today, the nra is a record 5 million strong. [applause]

thousands of americans join our cause every day and are still signing up. the media and political elite denigrate us. they cringe at the sight of long lines at gun shows all over this country. they mock americans who are buying firearms and ammunition at a record pace, and they scold him scorn the nra. they don't get it. they don't get america. president obama, the president of the united states of america, held a press conference 17 days ago and angrily called the nra liars. liars? really? this from a man who spent his entire reelection campaign saying he supported our second amendment rights.

and would never try to take anyone's gun away. and he calls us liars? this from the president to repeatedly claimed that 40% of firearm sales don't involve a background check. that was never true. in the "washington post" gave him three pinocchio's for that one. he calls us liars? the biggest whopper of all is that 90% of americans support his background checks bill. the media can't rant and rave about anything else.

90% of americans don't want criminals and the mentally ill to get their hands on guns. i don't know what kind of polling they do down at the white house, but i do know this. when it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals in the mentally deranged, nra members agree 100%. [applause] but mr. president, the bill you backed would not accomplish that goal. your bill, the bill you ordered was simply a maze of regulations that could criminalize lawful firearms transactions. and create potentially create, a massive government list of every law-abiding gun owner in the united states of america. the schumer bill you first supported, and you still support. it would create a database of every gun owner in america.

the manchin-toomey bill you later backed would not have presented tucson, aurora, and won't prevent the next tragedy. can pretend that any of it has anything to do to keep ever killed an saver at any school anywhere. that is why the president could not get people to go along with it. american software the political posturing over this country. they treasure their freedom. they don't want government to take that freedom away. as they say in texas, the president's 90% is all hat and no cattle. [applause]

iran into a member of congress a couple of weeks ago. we spoke for a moment. he said, i guess i have to go back and listen to the 90% of the phone calls that are not coming in. [laughter] that is a true story. and it tells you everything you need to know about president obama's empty 90%. so mr. president, you can give all the speeches he want. you can conjure up all the polls you can and call nra numbers on the nasty names that you can think of, or your gun control legislation won't stop one criminal, would not make anyone safer anyway, and that flaw of failure on its merits and got the defeat it deserved. [applause] the only nine date the president won't talk about his chicago. his own hometown.

now run by his former chief of staff. the president won't talk about chicago, but he should. because in the entire united states, chicago ranks 90th out of 90 jurisdictions in federal firearms prosecutions. dead last. when i brought that up on meet the press, the media ignored it. the president doesn't talk about that 90, and the national news media, their cameras perched like vultures right now in the back of this hall, they have not mustered the courage to walk into the white house briefing

room and ask about chicago's 90th ranking that is getting people killed every day and every night. a shooting every 6.3 hours. [applause] the deadliest city in america. the president's own hometown. ranked dead last in federal firearms prosecutions. and the media does not have the guts to ask him about it. if the president had one clue about how to clean a violent crime, don't you think he would do it in his own hometown? if his policies got us chicago, why do we want to listen to him on anything else? [applause]

you will never hear the media asking that. maybe it is because all of those reporters still have obama bumper stickers on their cars. [laughter] yeah. the national media and the political elite, they are all part of the same class that think they are smarter than we are. they know better than we do. they can tell us what to do or not, what to own or not, what to eat or drink or not, and how to live or not. take michael bloomberg. he has gone from mayor of new york to the title of national nanny. from sugar to salt to trans fats to fruit drinks, sodas, tell you

what you can and can't do or order when you go into a restaurant. this guy just can't seem to find enough ways to bus people around. and now he wants to tell us who to elect or not? come on, folks. seriously i ask you this -- if michael bloomberg not a billionaire, would anybody ever even bothered to listen to him? now he has joined the president, creating his own billionaire super pac, ready to spend hundreds of millions to attack the nra, demonized gun owners, destroy elected officials who won't bow down to his will and obliterate the second amendment.

all while the anti-gun media was supposedly hates money and politics, is all too happy to take and all too breathless to brag about bloomberg's money in politics. already they are conspiring right now. lanning, preparing, organizing. even waiting for the "next newtown." the next terrific crime. the next senseless, horrific crime to exploit . just the other day, and anti-gun spokesman said, the next newtown is inevitable. those things can help. galvanized people to act. folks, politics does not get any more disgusting than that . they wait to use the opportunity

of violent tragedy rather than prevent tragedy itself. let me say that again. rather than implement solutions that could prevent senseless violence, they choose broken policies that enable tragedy. tragedy they wait to exploit. by choice, for political gain. we know that even now there are dangerous, deranged, evil people throughout society. prepared to unleash unspeakable violence in our neighborhoods, our schools, our churches. they use tragedy to try and blame us. to shame us into compromising our freedom for their political agenda. they want to change america.

change our culture. change our values. you know what? this is america. the first country in the world founded not on a race, not on a religion, not on a royalty, but on a set of god-given principles that we call in alienable rights. [applause] we as americans come from that long line of patriots who broke from king george to live their own lives as free people. and nowhere does freedom of anymore and our second amendment right to own a firearm to defend ourselves, our families, and our nation. [applause] without that freedom, we really aren't free at all. there is nothing more good and

right and normal in america and an honest american citizen owning a firearm to defend himself or protect her family. [applause] they can try to blame us, shame us, with all their might. when it comes to defending the second amendment, we will never sacrifice our freedom on the altar of elitist acceptance. we will never surrender our guns, never. [applause]

you are the voice of america. they are hearing from you right now. more americans today understand the principle of the second amendment. the freedom it gives us as individuals. to be responsible for our own safety, protection, and survival. imagine with me just a minute right now, living in a large,

metropolitan area. where lawful firearms ownership is heavily regulated and discourage. imagine waking up to a phone call from the police at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, warning that a terrorist event is occurring outside and ordering you to stay inside your home. i am talking of course about boston. where residents were imprisoned behind the locked doors of their own homes. a terrorist with bombs and guns just outside. frighten citizens sheltered in place with no means to defend themselves or their families from whatever might come crashing through their door. how many bostonians wish they had a gun two weeks ago? [applause] how -- how many other americans now ponder that life or death question? a recent national poll answer that question decidedly. with danger lurking outside their doors, 69% of americans said yes, i want my freedom, i

want my second amendment, i want my guns. [applause] lying in wait right now is a terrorist. it arranged a school shooter. a kidnapper. a rapist. a murderer. waiting in planning and plotting. in every community across our country. lying in wait right now. no amount of political schemes, congressional legislation, presidential commissions or media roundtables will ever change that inevitable reality. i said it before, and i will say it again, no bill in congress, no rose garden speech, will ever change that inescapable

fact. that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. [applause] boston proved it. when brave law enforcement officers do their jobs in that city so courageously, good guys with guns stopped terrorists with guns. [applause] all over our country, people are

more and more frustrated with washington, d.c. and the political and media elite. they are dismayed over a political debate that has nothing to do with addressing our problems and everything to do with advancing an old, tired, failed political agenda. everywhere i go, i have learned that the nra is truly at the heart of america's heartland. that we are the middle of the river of america's mainstream. and what we want is exactly what most americans want. we know our mental health system is in shambles. and we all want it fixed. we want criminals with guns prosecuted and incarcerated. we want the federal government

on the books right now in force against drug dealers with guns, gangs with guns, and violent felons with guns. [applause] everyone of you feels that way, i know it. if they would just do that, those violent criminals would not be on their way to the next crime scene. they would be sitting in prison. we all want our children to be safe. we want them to be protected. that is why we proposed trained police and security officers in every single school in our country. [applause] there is not a mom or dad an america that wants to leave their children. if the washington elite really wanted the same thing, they would stop demonizing law- abiding american gun owners, they would stop trying to convince the american people that all gun owners are

potential criminals in waiting, and they would actually implement programs that address our problems in a real and meaningful way. but police and trained armed security in every school. enforce the federal gun laws on the books right now. repair our broken mental-health system. help help the mentally ill boy getting them off our streets and into treatment. and for god sakes, leave the rest of us alone in this country. [applause]

i hope washington hears that message you are sending right now. the political and media class, they just don't get it. in a lot of ways, they have lost track of what this great nation is really all about. it is about us and people like us all over our great country. it is always been we, the people. not the political class. all the way back to the founding of this country. here is what i am talking about. >> in a recent closed-door speech to donors and media, bill clinton spoke about american gun owners. "a a lot of these people, all they have got is hunting or fishing or they have been listening to the stuff are so long that they believe it all."

and we all remember barack obama's 2008 comments to a room of san francisco relates. "it is not surprising that they get it or, they cling to guns or religion." the arrogance of their superiority requires this reminder. they don't give us rights. we grant them power. they don't make us safe, we pay to protect them. they don't make us free, we are free already. as long as we have the second amendment, we always will be. we are america. our politicians are only as powerful as we, the people, allow them to be. [applause] >> we are the people.

this is our country. this is a fight for our freedom and the freedom that separates us from every other nation on earth. that freedom makes us stronger than other countries and that freedom makes us better than other countries. that freedom is on the line. nevermore on the line than right now. through the 2014 congressional election. 17 days ago, president obama said this was only round one. round two is on the way. they're coming after us with a vengeance to destroy us. to destroy us and every ounce of our freedom. it is up to us, every single nra member, every single gun owner, all-americans all of this country, to get to work right now and meet them head-on with and an array that is strong and large enough to defeat any and all threats to our freedom. today --

[applause] today we are a record 5 million strong. we must not and we will not slow down, not one single bit. by the time we're finished, the nra must and will be 10 million strong. 10 million. dedicated. [applause] patriotic. american. who cherish freedom and all that is good and right about america. we don't care if it is round one, round two, or around 15, the nra to go the distance. no matter what it takes, we will never give up or compromise our constitutional freedom, not one single inch.

[applause] our feet are planted firmly in a foundation of freedom. unswayed by the winds of political and media insanity. and they political and media elites who scorn on, we say let them be damned. [applause] so fill your heart with pride. clear your eyes with conviction. this is our time to stand and fight. now and in the next election and the one after that area did now and for the rest of our lives.

to save our second amendment for future generations, we will never back down. we will never surrender. we will always stand, we will always fight, we will always stand and fight for our american freedoms. thank you very much. [applause]

>> thank you, wayne. now it is my letter to introduce your second vice president, alan court. >> thank you mr. president, and good morning the nra. had been in politics and lobbying for more than 40 years. during that time, politicians from both parties have come and gone. organizations from across the spectrum have risen and fallen. throughout that time, one thing is proven true time and time again, there is simply no other legislative and political team that is as smart, hard-working, and most importantly, successful, as our own institute for legislative action.

[applause] true power comes from each of you. each of you gathered in this room and run the country. your support is the lifeblood of one of the greatest political operations this country has ever seen. and you have demonstrated that last month when the u.s. senate rejected the obama-bloomberg gun control agenda. [applause] every successful organization also needs good leadership. ila's tremendous success is a testament to the vision and leadership of my good friend, chris cox. [applause] chris leads the charge as the executive director.

as part of that role, user says nra's chief lobbyist on capitol hill and in the state legislatures. chris understands, perhaps better than anyone, that our gun rights are never safe. which is why ila never stops working, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. from working with chris over the past two decades, i know that this philosophy that motivates him to constantly fight for our second amendment freedoms across america, no matter what the issue, no matter who is in office, and no matter how big or small it might seem at the time. chris and his team do all this so that when the final votes are cast, every legislator and every american gun owner has a complete understanding of every proposal and its impact on our freedom. he would never tell you this, so i will say it for him. chris's visionary leadership is responsible for some of our most

monumental victories. here is an example. the supreme court decision in heller and mcdonald that affirmed our fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms, they did not start with lawyers filing lawsuits. they started at your ila headquarters in his office, where he and his team mapped out the strategy to elect gw bush, who nominated justice roberts and justice alito and helped elect second amendment senators who confirmed roberts and alito. they became the cornerstone of the decisions that guaranteed our second amendment freedom. as i mentioned earlier, chris's leadership is evident in a recent victory in the u.s. senate. perhaps the biggest battle we have had in the past 20 years.

chris also knows, as the late margaret thatcher famously said, that victory in politics are never final. so he never stops working for us. i know that in a job like this, he does not get much rest. we can all rest better, because he is at the helm, leading the fight for freedom. ladies and gentlemen, these join me in giving a warm welcome and big round of applause to the executive director of your nra institute for legislative action, chris cox. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you.

after that kind introduction, i don't feel quite so bad following wayne, but it is dull tough. it is great to be back in texas. thank you for those kind words. it is often been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. i would like to start today with a quote from 30 years ago. it comes from the 1983 nra annual meeting. "it's a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm on not phased by gun control." those were the words of then president of the united states, ronald reagan. this year marks the 30th anniversary of president reagan's keynote address at our annual meeting.

in that speech, he also said, good organizations do not just happen. they take root in a body of shared beliefs, they grow from strong leadership, with vision, initiative, and determination to reach great goals. he went on to say, what you have accomplished, everyone of you you in this room, speaks for itself. nra is getting stronger every day. [applause] we are getting stronger every day, thanks to you and millions more across america, we are stronger right now than at any time in our 142 year history. the fact is, we have to be stronger. because right now our freedoms under attack like never before. but the past five months. we have seen the politicians, the national media, their billionaire supporters, attack us, ridicule us and blame us for the acts of violent criminals and madmen. they blame us. think about that. when a deranged criminal murders innocent children, they blame us.

they don't care that as an ra members, we have done more than anyone to teach safe and responsible gun ownership areas we have fought harder than anyone to keep guns out of the hands of violent felons and the mentally ill. we have made our country safer and more free by protecting the fundamental right of law-abiding americans to defend their homes and families. but they still blame us. that is because where we see tragedy, a rock obama and michael bloomberg the opportunity. we pray for god to comfort those suffering unimaginable pain, they rushed to microphones, rushed to cameras. they gather in war rooms on capitol hill. they scheme about how to use that suffering to push their political agenda. they follow rahm emanuel's advice, never a crisis go to waste.

that is who they are and what they believe. but not us. for those who still don't understand who we are and what we believe, we are the moms and dads and sons and daughters of the national rifle association and we want to prevent new town, not take advantage of it. [applause] but that is what our opponents do. they use tragedy to restrict freedom. this to us to stop them. we are freedoms greatest hope. its biggest army, and its brightest future. we will not stand idly by while politicians, billionaires, or the media try to destroy the rights that american heroes have died defending. so mr. president, do you really want to keep america safer? senator feinstein, do you really want to protect our kids? senator schumer, do you really

want to keep them out of the wrong hands? then prove it. prove it by prosecuting violent criminals, get serious about school security, and prevent by fixing our mental health system that everyone knows is broken. while you do that, do one more thing. leave our freedom alone. [applause] as dishonest as our opponents are, don't forget they are also ignorant. ignorance is sometimes bliss, it also has another name. joe biden. [applause] [laughter]

biden is the ringleader of obama's gun control task force. let's just say she has some interesting ideas on self.-- self defense. take a look. >> buy a shotgun. >> joe biden on self-defense for women. >> you want to protect yourself, get a double barrel shotgun, as i told my wife. i said come until there is ever a problem walk out on the balcony here, but that double barrel shotgun and fire to blast outside the house. >> more than 300,000 women face aggravated assault every year. joe biden's answer. >> fire two blasts outside the house. >> not only would that be illegal, for tips on safe and responsible gun ownership, ask the nra, not joe biden. [applause] >> that i needed a different disclaimer.

it should've said, the opinions of the vice president are idiotic, dangerous, and should not be attended at home or anywhere else. [laughter] there is also senator dianne feinstein. wasn't it what you think our guns should be banned. >> step up and ban these weapons. the other very important part of this is to ban large capacity ammunition seeking devices. those that hold over 10 rounds. we have federal regulations and state laws that prohibit hunting ducks with more than three rounds, and yet it is legal to hunt humans with 15 rounds, 30 rounds, even 150 round magazines? >> hold on a minute. it is legal to hunt humans? [laughter] not even in texas. [applause]

we have heard a lot of unintelligent garbage coming from politicians, and feinstein might just win the prize for that one. or maybe not. over in the house of representatives, she has some competition. take a look. >> in february you introduce the assault weapons ban and mont foresman protection act of 2007. it would regulate semiautomatic assault weapons, including those that have this pistol grips. and those with a barrel shroud. what is that? >> i think the more important thing is that it would have banned a large capacity clips. >> i read the legislation. it said that it would regulate barrel shroud. what is that more should be regulated ? >> most gangs and criminals were

using to kill our police officers. i am not saying it is the best built. that was the best -- >> do you know what a barrel shroud is? >> i actually don't know. >> to your last question, what is the efficacy of banning these magazine clips? i would tell you these are ammunition. they are bullets. the people who have those now, they are going to them. if you ban them in the future, the number of these high- capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time. because the bullets will have been shot in a more be any more available. [laughter] >> carolyn mccarthy does not need to know what a barrel shroud is, and diana does not know what a magazine is, but they both know for damn sure that you should not have them. [laughter]

these two would make a great skit on saturday night live, but it is pathetic coming from members of congress. on that subject, let's not forget president obama. he is not a much ignorant as dishonest. the president of the united states told the united states told a roomful of rich campaign donors in san francisco last month that the gun used at sandy hook elementary school was, a fully automatic weapon. a fully automatic weapon. that was not an innocent mistake. that was a deliberate deception. you know so my automatic firearms are not fully automatic. 40% of gun sales are conducted with the back rent check is false. even your beloved "washington post" called you out on that one. even universal background checks would not have prevented new town. the centerpiece of president obama's response to new town would not have prevented new

town. it would not make a lick of difference in his hometown, either. you think that murderers and drug dealers and rapists and others in chicago or anywhere else are going to go to walmart for a federal background check women want to buy a gun? of course not. this would criminalize transfers of honest citizens. if you don't get eric holder's permission first, you go to jail. in other words, you are guilty until they prove you innocent. that was his idea of a reasonable compromise to prevent newtown. the u.s. senate debated the background checks and more of the obama agenda. obama said he used every tool at his disposal to force his proposals through congress. bloomberg spent tens of millions on tv ads to pressure senators.

they spent millions on bogus polling across the country, claiming an overwhelming majority of americans supported their gun control schemes. and he predicted victory before the votes were even cast. you know what they did not count on? they did not count on you. they underestimated you. they did not think you stand and fight, but you did. he made the phone calls, you send the letters, use of the enough, you let your senators know -- [applause] you let them know that your freedom is not negotiable and it worked. republicans and democrats alike rejected chuck schumer's universal background checks, finance feinstein's gun ban and frank's magazine ban. it is all thanks to you, so give yourselves a hand.

[applause] make no mistake, this is just one battle in a long war. as alan said, margaret thatcher pointed out that no political victories are ever final. we cannot afford to stop fighting, because we know our opponents want. president obama is still crisscrossing the country in air force one, from colorado to new jersey, trying to commit the people that is gun control proposals are reasonable. we need to fight back with the truth. and explained that his ideas are not reasonable and to make people less safe. here is an example. limiting magazine capacity. that is a major part of their agenda. you have all heard it. 10 rounds, five rounds, some even proposed a three round limit.

is it reasonable to tell another what you can use and can't use to defend her children? earlier this year, a young georgia mother was at home when a violent criminal broke into her basement. fearing for her life, she grabbed her .38 and ran upstairs. she had in the closet with her kids. if you found them. when he attacked, she shot him five times in the face and neck. [applause] in spite of his wounds, he was able to walk down the stairs, get in his car and drive away. imagine the fear that mother must have felt. imagine if there had been two attackers.

one bullet in the gun of a criminal is one too many, but 10 in the gun of a mother protecting her kids might not be enough. that is why we should never make policies that make it more difficult for honest people to defend themselves against attackers. [applause] sadly, that is exactly what happened to amanda collins. while a college student, she was brutally raped on her campus. amanda had a little permit to carry a handgun, but the school banned her from carrying it on campus. while she escaped with her life, it would never be the same. another young woman, abducted near the same school, would not be so lucky. breanna denson went missing in the middle of a night just a few months after amanda was attacked. after a frantic four-week search, authorities found her body, crudely dumped underneath a discarded christmas tree. she had been kidnapped, raped, and strangled to death by the same bastard that had raped amanda. what is that policy banning self-defense not been in place ? what is amanda shot that rapists

he for he attacked her? her life would've been changed for the better, and breanna's life would have been saved. [applause] no matter what president obama says, it is not reasonable to limit the ability of innocent people to defend themselves. it is wrong, because it is immoral. make no mistake, we are in a culture were. we once faced hundreds of voices against this, there are now thousands attacking us every day. from organizing for america, to code pink, to occupy the nra, and occupy anything but a job, for that matter.

[laughter] [applause] who is the ringleader? the very smug, very rich, mayor of new york city, michael bloomberg. >> we have an obligation to tell each other and try to convince people that if they are going with the nra, they are going against the lives of our children and of you and me . >> that is what michael bloomberg thinks of us. he also knows what is best for us. just ask him. he wants to dictate everything emma from the food we eat, to the sodas we drink, to the gums we on. he will use his multibillion- dollar bank account and global media empire to impose his will on us. his strategy is shameless. after the tragedy in aurora, colorado, it was reported that bloomberg and his gun team

created a media and lobbying plan that they intended, to deploy following the next massacre. unfortunately last december, they got their opportunity. while we work to prevent newtown, mayor bloomberg works to take advantage of it. the 5 million honest, hard- working men and women of the national rifle association, we might not have billions of dollars, but we have a common decency that his money can't buy. mr. mayor, go spend your money on another yacht, another plane, or another caribbean estate. our freedom is not for sale. [applause] this is the threat we face.

it is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. a never-ending battle against an anti-gun billionaire who spares no expense to defeat us. and a national news media that expresses contempt for us at every opportunity. despite all of that, i would not bet against us. four months ago, every so-called political expert in america predicted the nra would be defeated by now. the second amendment would be gone. they did not count on you. they underestimated the strength of your convictions. and your dedication to defending freedom, no matter how strong the enemy or big the fight. the truth is, the only reason we are not living under dianne feinstein's gun down right now, not registering our guns with obama's bureaucrats the only reason our freedom exist, is the nra of america and the nra is you. [applause]

our future depends on young nra members. young nra and numbers like maddie. stand up. there she is. [applause] maddie is a high school student from down the road. she recently invited to dozen kids and their parents out to her family's ranch. none of them have been around firearms before. with the help of some instructors, maddie introduced into the wonderful world of shooting. she said she was filled with joy

watching their faces light up when they shot a gun for the first time. afterwards, they said the experience had changed their position on the second amendment. she even signed up a few new nra members that day, including to life members. [applause] if maddie and others like her who are the future of our freedom, and i believe our future has never looked brighter. i do again for being here today. [applause] if you look around this room, you will see with the grass- roots army of freedom looks like. that army is each one of you here today. and millions more of us across america. we are the only thing standing between barack obama, michael bloomberg, and our second amendment freedoms. i begin this morning with a quote from president reagan. that is how i would like to

finish. and that great speech, this is how he concluded. america is no stronger and its people. that means you and me. i believe in you and i believe that if we work together, then one day we will say, we fought the good fight, we finished the race, we kept the faith. to our children and children's children, we could say we did all that could be done in the brief time given us here on earth. president reagan's words are as true today as they were in 1983. it is an honor for me to serve as your executive director of the nra institute for legislative action. while the nature of this fight changes, our principles won't. we will never apologize for who we are and what we believe. we will never be intimidated i president. we will never be shamed by a national news media, and we will never be scared of a billionaire.

i promise you, we will stand and we will fight. thank you, god bless you, god bless the national rifle association. [applause] >> on the next washington [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] x next on "washington journal" we will look at president obama's second term with linda feldman of the christian science monitor and peter baker of the "new york times." followed by a discussion on the situation in syria. then, npr's peter sehgal joins us to talk about the new series he is hosting on the u.s. constitution and what it in the 21st century.

"washington journal" live with your calls, tweets, and e-mails his next. host: president obama is back from his trip to mexico and costa rica but he hits the road again today out to ohio to make a convention speech at ohio university. congress will be returning tomorrow from a week-long break. on the senate side we will hear about the internet sales tax bill and immigration. hearingouse side, a big with the state department whistle-blowers. hopes that congress will hear more about the issue of guns. this brings us to our first question for you this morning