Dozens of residents showed up to a Richardson city council meeting on July 10, 2023, to oppose the National Rifle Association’s relocation in the city, only to find out the reports on the move were not completely accurate.
In June, the Dallas Business Journal reported the NRA was showing interest in a Richardson office space that State Farm Insurance was considering leaving behind. The news prompted a group of residents to create a petition to the city council against the association’s move to the North Texas suburb. While the NRA has ample support and sponsors a number of influential lawmakers in North Texas, they also face considerable pushback in the region.
However, the NRA released an official statement refuting the news of the HQ relocating in Richardson. “Last year, the NRA announced that it is considering strategic options regarding a corporate relocation, and Texas remains a preferred choice for a future HQ,”
Billy McLaughlin, an NRA spokesman told Local Profile. “That said, the NRA Board of Directors has not made any decision – and the Association is not in contract negotiations with any property in Texas.”
Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement focused on stopping gun violence in America, called for NRA opponents to show up at Monday’s council meeting. As reported by KERA, the NRA saw an increase in its memberships following the Allen mall shooting in May. “We seem to be in an endless cycle of gun violence taking the lives of our children and neighbors while our lawmakers do absolutely nothing to prevent it,” said Kat Vargas, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action about the Allen tragedy in an official statement.
Additionally, NBCDFW reported that an associate pastor at Arapaho United Methodist Church in Richardson along with other concerned residents created a petition that dubbed the NRA as a “divisive, deliberate and dishonest organization … that lobbies against common sense gun laws.” The petition also highlighted the protests that seem to follow the NRA where ever it goes. “We believe these protests will be made wherever the NRA is located, causing disturbance to nearby communities and businesses.”
At the Monday evening city council meeting, City Manager Don Manger shared with the crowd the NRA’s announcement that the association had no interest in Richardson which was received with applause.
