Don McLean, Larry Gatlin, Larry Stewart cancel NRA convention gigs after Texas shooting
Don McLean has canceled his upcoming performance at this year’s National Rifle Assn. convention after Tuesday’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. Fellow performers Larry Gatlin and Larry Stewart followed quickly in McLean’s footsteps.
The “American Pie” singer-songwriter and guitarist announced on Thursday that he will no longer be performing at the event scheduled for this weekend in Houston.
“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week,” the singer said in a statement provided to The Times. “I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans.”
The Texas school shooting victims were athletes, artists, dancers and kids with big dreams. Most were under the age of 11.
A gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School this week in the deadliest school shooting in the United States since the horrifying attack at Sandy Hook almost 10 years ago.
“I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation,” McLean said.
Gatlin said in a statement Thursday on Facebook that while he’s “a 2nd Amendment guy ... the 2nd Amendment should not apply to everyone. It’s that simple.” He said he could not “in good conscience” perform at the NRA event.
“While I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA,” Gatlin said, “I have come to believe that, while background checks would not stop every madman with a gun, it is at the very least a step in the right direction toward trying to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw this week in Uvalde— in my beloved, weeping TEXAS.”
Stewart said in a statement to USA Today that he was pulling out because he wanted “to honor the victims, families, the town and our friends in the great state of Texas the best I know how.”
The vigil at the Uvalde County Fairplex on Wednesday night was a coming together and a communal letting of sorrow and emotion.
The NRA is still moving forward with the annual convention.
“Although an investigation is underway and facts are still emerging, we recognize this was the act of a lone, deranged criminal,” the NRA said in a statement posted on Twitter. “As we gather in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools secure.”
The three-day event will feature guest appearances from former President Trump and politicians including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
Before the flurry of cancellations Thursday, pop star Olivia Rodrigo had expressed her sorrow, but from the stage. She called for change and gun reform during her recent show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
“We should never have to worry about our safety or our lives in places that are dedicated to our learning and growing,” she said. “I’m so heartbroken that this is the reality that we’re living in. And we need stricter gun control laws in America now.”
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