NRA expects 60,000 at Phoenix convention

Thousands of gun aficionados are expected to gather at the Phoenix Convention Center this weekend for the 138th annual meeting of the National Rifle Association.

Exhibitors have set up some 450 displays of guns and everything related to firearms. Some 60,000 people are expected during the three-day convention, Friday through Sunday.

In addition to exhibits, there will be several seminars including one that teaches self-defense.

"The `Refuse to be a Victim Seminar' is for both men and women," said the NRA's Vicki Cieplak. "Being a woman myself, it's great to know how to make sure that I know the proper things to do when I'm faced with a bad situation."

Cieplak said the seminar also provides safety tips to people who choose not to carry guns.

"Appropriate places to walk, make sure you're aware of your surroundings, make sure that you walk with a group if you are unfamiliar with your surroundings, things like that."

One person working hard Wednesday to get his booth ready was Al Russo of Remington Guns and Ammunition. He said people who belong to the NRA are special.

"These are the backbone of the United States," Russo said. "This is want makes the United States so great -- groups like this. Their passion for guns, their passion for ammunition, and just their plain passion."

Russo said he's seeing more passion from NRA members now because of President Barack Obama, who is viewed as favoring gun controls.

"We rally around who's in charge of the United States at the time and how they feel about guns in particular," Russo said. "Our current administration, unfortunately, is not very gun favorable, so we have our doubts and doubt is what makes this organization thrive."

Russo said the NRA is all for gun safety.

"As a matter of fact, here, as we hand a gun to people to show it to them -- even thought we know the firing pin's been removed -- we'll still check the gun, we'll look at it, we'll make sure it;s open, we'll make sure it's unloaded. It becomes part of our makeup, it's how we do what we do."

No guns are sold at the NRA convention, they are only on display.

Exhibits are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

On the Net:

• http://www.nraam.org>