Daniel Defense, maker of gun used in Texas shooting, skipping NRA meeting in Houston

Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the rifle used by a gunman to kill 21 at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, will not be present at the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) annual meeting in Houston, Texas.

“Daniel Defense is not attending the National Rifle Association (‘NRA’) meeting due to the horrifying tragedy in Uvalde, Texas where one of our products was criminally misused,” a spokesperson for the company told The Hill. “We believe this week is not the appropriate time to be promoting our products in Texas at the NRA meeting.”

The NRA summit will take place Friday through Sunday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston and will “showcase over 14 acres of the latest guns and gear from the most popular companies in the Industry.”

The House Oversight and Reform Committee launched an investigation Friday into gun manufacturers including Daniel Defense, writing, “Our country faces an epidemic of gun violence, which is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States.”

“I am deeply concerned that gun manufacturers continue to profit from the sale of weapons of war,” said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) in the investigation announcement.

Daniel Defense has also come under scrutiny due to a promotional tweet posted a week before the Uvalde shooting that featured a photo of a child holding an assault-style rifle.

The photo’s caption, apparently referencing a Bible verse unrelated to guns, read: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Multiple Texas politicians have canceled their appearances at the NRA meeting in the aftermath of the Uvalde massacre, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and Gov. Greg Abbott (R), the latter of whom will hold a press conference at Uvalde High School Friday in lieu of a planned live speech at the NRA event.