--- description: In response to questions about arming club-goers in the wake of the Orlando nightclub tragedy title: NRA Calls for Arming More People—But Not Drunk People image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefd411feb56a2ff5/69889882bc6cfc47fd3dd77d/gettyimages-5414813201.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Orlando](/tag/orlando/) ## Orlando Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # NRA Slaps Down Donald Trump Over Arming People in Bars by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 12:21 PM CUT  People wait for the start of a memorial service on June 19, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Spencer Platt—Getty Images People wait for the start of a memorial service on June 19, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Spencer Platt—Getty ImagesSpencer Platt—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 12:21 PM CUT Officials from the National Rifle Association said Sunday arming people in bars and [people who drink alcohol is not a good idea](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nra-officials-people-drinking-clubs-shouldnt-armed/story?id=39963267 "undefined"). The statements came after Republican presidential candidate and likely nominee [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4367213/orlando-shooting-donald-trump-immigration-terrorism/ "undefined") suggested that had some of the 49 club-goers at Pulse nightclub been arms their tragic deaths could have been prevented. In an interview on [_ABC_‘s This Week](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nra-officials-people-drinking-clubs-shouldnt-armed/story?id=39963267 "undefined"), the executive director of the NRA’s lobbying arm Chris Cox said that though he believes more people with guns is a good thing, having guns where people drink “defies common sense.” “What Donald Trump has said is what the American people know as common sense: If somebody had been there to stop this faster, fewer people would have died,” Cox said. When pressed about arming club-goers Cox clarified. “No one thinks that people should go into a nightclub drinking and carrying firearms,” he said. “That defies common sense. It also defies the law.” The [Orlando nightclub tragedy](http://time.com/magazine/ "undefined"), which left 49 dead and 53 wounded, has reignited the debate over gun control in America. Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy staged a 15 hour filibuster in order to push his colleagues into voting on measures that would restrict who could purchase a firearm. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week. In an interview on [CBS](http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/full-interview-nra-ceo-wayne-lapierre-june-19/ "undefined"), Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the NRA, said people need to have a “security plan” to arm themselves, but agreed that having guns where people are consuming alcohol is not a good idea. “I don’t think you should have firearms where people are drinking,”LaPierre said. He later clarified on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NRA "undefined") that carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol should be permitted, but said “if you’re going to carry, don’t drink.” “Everybody, every American starts to have — needs to start having a security plan. We need to be able to protect ourselves, because they’re coming. And they’re going for vulnerable spots, and this country needs to realize it,” LaPierre said on [Face the Nation.](http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/full-interview-nra-ceo-wayne-lapierre-june-19/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4374600/nra-donald-trump-orlando/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4374600/nra-donald-trump-orlando/"},"headline":"NRA Slaps Down Donald Trump Over Arming People in Bars","datePublished":"2016-06-20T12:21:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:42:34.715Z","description":"In response to questions about arming club-goers in the wake of the Orlando nightclub tragedy","url":"https://time.com/4374600/nra-donald-trump-orlando/","keywords":["Orlando","Crime","Gun Control","Guns","NRA","gun rights"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefd411feb56a2ff5/69889882bc6cfc47fd3dd77d/gettyimages-5414813201.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefd411feb56a2ff5/69889882bc6cfc47fd3dd77d/gettyimages-5414813201.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Orlando Continues To Mourn The Mass Shooting At Gay Club That Killed 49","caption":"Orlando Continues To Mourn The Mass Shooting At Gay Club That Killed 49","creditText":"Spencer Platt—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/orlando/","name":"Orlando"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4374600/nra-donald-trump-orlando/","name":"NRA Slaps Down Donald Trump Over Arming People in Bars"}}]}] ```