National Rifle Association (NRA)

Thousands gathered inside of the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston for the NRA convention while swaths of others convened outside in protest, advocating for gun control legislation.

This isn't the first time the NRA has held its convention days after a nearby mass shooting. Some politicians and musicians are dropping out, and gun control advocates are preparing protests.

The political climate has changed drastically since a 10-year assault weapons ban passed in 1994. The lack of political will and other barriers stand in the way of it even coming to a vote today.

The National Rifle Association begins its annual convention Friday, and its leaders are gearing up to "reflect on" — and deflect any blame for — the deadly shooting earlier this week in Uvalde, Texas.

The Secret Service is taking control of the hall during Trump's speech in Houston on Friday and is prohibiting attendees from having firearms and other weapons, according to the gun group.

Gunfight author Ryan Busse was once a rising star in the gun industry. But he became disillusioned after Columbine when, he says, the NRA began to use "fear and conspiracy and hatred" to boost sales.

Just after the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, NRA leaders agonized over what to do. NPR obtained recordings of the calls, which lay out how the NRA has handled mass shootings ever since.

The book takes a look into the three-decade-long reign of Wayne Lapierre.

The lawsuit from the gun-control nonprofit Giffords claims the NRA used shell companies to funnel millions "in unlawful, excessive, and unreported in-kind campaign contributions" to GOP candidates.

The book by NPR's Tim Mak might be the final blow in terms of exposing the organization's rotten core and showing how a boundless love for money and power has eaten away at the group's foundations.