Fashion with a BANG: NRA showcases ‘stylish’ gun

In perhaps the most American form of haute couture – the National Rifle Association put on a concealed carry fashion show. 

From purses to gun holsters, attendees of the gun ownership and self-defense convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were treated to what the NRA said was the first-ever show of its kind.  

Models displayed offerings from roughly 30 companies on Friday night, such as Femme Fatale and Man-Pack, whose products include corset holders and shoulder bags designed for quick gun access. 

‘We couldn’t find an event that’s been done like this before,’ NRA spokesman Jason Brown said ahead of the event.

‘It’s going to be really, really interesting to see all of these different products up on stage and modeled by people.’

 

A model walks the runway during Friday night's NRA Concealed Carry Fashion Show

In perhaps the most American form of haute couture – the National Rifle Association put on a concealed carry fashion show

From purses to gun holsters, attendees of the gun ownership and self-defense convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were treated to what the NRA said was the first-ever show of its kind

From purses to gun holsters, attendees of the gun ownership and self-defense convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were treated to what the NRA said was the first-ever show of its kind

Models displayed offerings from roughly 30 companies on Friday night, such as Femme Fatale and Man-Pack, whose products include corset holders and shoulder bags designed for quick gun access

Models displayed offerings from roughly 30 companies on Friday night, such as Femme Fatale and Man-Pack, whose products include corset holders and shoulder bags designed for quick gun access

And at the end of the show, gun-toting attendees voted for their three favorite products. 

The organization has been promoting the event for months, and last week posted a press release on their blog that said: ‘The Fashion Show will showcase the Expo’s top concealed carry products and demonstrate the features and benefits to an audience of firearm enthusiasts and industry media.

‘Both male and female models will walk the runway, showcasing products ranging from conventional pistol holsters and accessories to concealed carry purses, bags, and much more.’ 

The release also warned that only ‘approved’ members of media organizations would receive credentials to cover the expo, suggesting that certain news groups would not be let in.  

The NRA, apolitically powerful gun rights group that regularly tussles with lawmakers over gun control, says nearly 16 million Americans are licensed to carry concealed firearms.

At the end of the show, gun-toting attendees voted for their three favorite products

The organization has been promoting the event for months, and last week posted a press release on their blog

At the end of the show, gun-toting attendees voted for their three favorite products. The organization has been promoting the event for months, and last week posted a press release on their blog to hype it up even more

The release also warned that only 'approved' members of media organizations would receive credentials to cover the expo, suggesting that certain news groups would not be let in

The release also warned that only ‘approved’ members of media organizations would receive credentials to cover the expo, suggesting that certain news groups would not be let in

The NRA, apolitically powerful gun rights group that regularly tussles with lawmakers over gun control, says nearly 16 million Americans are licensed to carry concealed firearms

The NRA, apolitically powerful gun rights group that regularly tussles with lawmakers over gun control, says nearly 16 million Americans are licensed to carry concealed firearms

Unlike annual meetings which are reserved for members, the three-day convention is described as more of an educational opportunity for the general public

The controversial group insists that the country is safer when more people carry guns, despite schools of evidence suggesting otherwise

Unlike annual meetings which are reserved for members, the three-day convention is described as more of an educational opportunity for the general public

The controversial group insists that the country is safer when more people carry guns, despite schools of evidence suggesting otherwise.  

Unlike annual meetings which are reserved for members, the three-day convention is described as more of an educational opportunity for the general public.

‘It’s kind of this full, comprehensive look of what it means to be able to defend yourself,’ Brown said.

In addition to the fashion show, the weekend event has plans for a concert and dozens of workshops, such as one on how to stop life-threatening bleeding.

‘We’re going to pull out all the stops,’ Brown said, to help people make informed decisions about guns and self-defense.

The NRA came under fire in recent months after releasing a series of videos that some believe use violence-inciting language and images. 

The organization is using the hashtags #counterresistance and #clenchedfistoftruth to go along with the videos which use terms such as ‘shot across the bow’ and threatens media and political ‘elites’. 

The terms, critics have said, suggest anyone opposing their views are enemy combatants. 

‘The times are burning and the media elites have been caught holding the match,’ NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch says in one video aired on NRATV – the lobby’s web video sight. 

It also shows footage of people fighting police, breaking storefront glass and burning the American flag to bring home their message. 

A gun-toting Fabio look-alike walks the runway at Friday night's showcase and displays a 'fasionable' gun holster designed specifically for quick access 

A gun-toting Fabio look-alike walks the runway at Friday night’s showcase and displays a ‘fasionable’ gun holster designed specifically for quick access 

The NRA came under fire in recent months after releasing a series of videos that some believe use violence-inciting language and images. Pictured above a model showcases a hand-gun cover 

The NRA came under fire in recent months after releasing a series of videos that some believe use violence-inciting language and images. Pictured above a model showcases a hand-gun cover 

The NRA posted a press release on its blog about the showcase, which reads: 'Both male and female models will walk the runway, showcasing products ranging from conventional pistol holsters and accessories to concealed carry purses, bags, and much more'

A man displays the ease of pulling out his gun in the case of emergency with a holster that can be attached to his belt

The NRA posted a press release on its blog about the showcase, which reads: ‘Both male and female models will walk the runway, showcasing products ranging from conventional pistol holsters and accessories to concealed carry purses, bags, and much more’

She later specifically threatens the New York times, saying: ‘We’ve had it with your narratives, your propaganda, your fake news. 

‘We’ve had it with your constant protection of your Democrat overlords, your refusal to acknowledge any truth that upsets the fragile construct that you believe is real life.

‘And we’ve had it with your tone-deaf assertion that you are in any way truth or fact-based journalism. 

‘Consider this the shot across your proverbial bow. In short, we’re coming for you.’ 

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said the tone and language is ‘overwrought rhetoric’ that, viewed by the wrong person, could lead to violence. The kicker on one of the videos – ‘We’re coming for you’ – is straight out of the movies, she said, and ‘that phrase means that violence is imminent and we will perpetrate it.’

The NRA is taking a page from the Trump playbook.

This friction between the gun lobby and the media isn’t new. 

But critics of the NRA contend the organization is relying on the ‘fake news’ mantra started by Trump to whip up its followers after a dip in gun sales that has taken place since Trump succeeded President Barack Obama, who favored stricter gun-control laws.

A model is pictured showcasing a gun-friendly corsets that can be worn under someone's clothing and easily hidden from people around them

A model pulls her gun out from under her top to display the ease of using this product in any given situation

A model is pictured showcasing two different options for gun-friendly corsets that can be worn under someone’s clothing and easily hidden from people around the wearer

In addition to the fashion show, the weekend event has plans for a concert and dozens of workshops, such as one on how to stop life-threatening bleeding. People at the showcase are pictured watching intently

In addition to the fashion show, the weekend event has plans for a concert and dozens of workshops, such as one on how to stop life-threatening bleeding. People at the showcase are pictured watching intently

Some gun owners have cheered the videos and said they give voice to conservatives weary of media attacks on Trump; others say the videos stray from the NRA’s original mission and that the NRA is inviting violence.

Joe Plenzler, a Marine veteran who served overseas and sometimes had reporters accompanying his unit, joined two other veterans in writing an opinion piece for The Daily Beast criticizing the videos.

‘The NRA props up the Second Amendment by undermining and vilifying the protections afforded in the First, and paints everyone who may disagree with the current administration, our country’s justice system, or the NRA’s partisan political position with a very dark and unjust broad brush,’ Plenzler wrote with Marine veterans Craig Tucker and Kyleanne Hunter.

Plenzler, who has since dropped his NRA membership, said he was disturbed by the videos.

‘Lately, it seems like they’ve gone well out of the bounds of any sort of sane responsible behavior,’ he explained. 

‘If you want to advocate for the Second Amendment, which I unapologetically believe in, that’s fine,’ he said. ‘But I think at the point where you are going to demonize half the American population in a recruitment effort to get more members, I’ve got a big problem with that.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk