Last weekend, Gun Owners of America (GOA) held its inaugural Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (G.O.A.L.S) in Knoxville, Tennessee, and to call it a success would be an understatement.
G.O.A.L.S is a conference combining 120,000 square feet of floor space with the latest firearms technology, meetups, talks from gun rights advocates, and classes for the public. The conference was held at the Knoxville Convention Center, which is usually a gun-free zone, but GOA was able to convince the city to allow attendees to carry firearms.
The title sponsor for the event was Brownells. Founder Pete Brownell was in attendance himself and chose to sponsor the event because he believes in the mission of GOA, which is being the no-compromise gun lobby. Brownells has expanded its partnership with the gun rights organization to help spread the gospel of the Second Amendment.
“When we were asked, we jumped at the opportunity to help this organization push the Second Amendment in the right direction and represent individual rights,” Brownell said. We jumped on the momentum GOA is having and wanted to be part of the success.”
The event kicked off Thursday morning with a range day for media members hosted by Opie in The Smokeys. The media members could test out the latest firearms by companies such as Smith & Wesson, Glock, and many others. Multiple accessory companies were on-site, allowing members to try out their latest wares, including Gideon Optics and Meprolight.
On Friday, the convention floor was opened for media members. This media-only day gave media members time to meet with companies in a less crowded environment. GOA chose to host a media-only day because of lessons learned from other events where it was hard for media members to get usable content because of the crowds and the noise. The format alleviated the problem for the 1200+ media members attending the conference.
YouTube Star Johnny B held his popular Spicy Friday show live Friday Night for crowds of adoring fans. The public showed up and had a fantastic time. Johnny had the crowd rolling with his quick wits and quips. The packed audience enjoyed the show, and many hung around after it finished to experience camaraderie with other gun owners.
On Saturday, the convention opened to the public. The doors swung open at 9 AM, and gun owners flooded into the convention center. In the kickoff ceremony, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs (better known as Kane from the WWE) welcomed everyone to Knoxville. GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt welcomed everyone to G.O.A.L.S and explained the need to pressure the politicians to protect our God-given right to bear arms. After Pratt spoke, Donald Trump addressed the crowd via video, vowing to protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
Canik would unveil their new GOA theme pistol, the first of two GOA-themed firearms unveiled at G.O.A.L.S. The second would be a GOA-themed Henry rifle. Kash Patel would be the first speaker to take the main stage in front of a crowded room, where he would speak about the importance of the Second Amendment. The main stage hosted many nationally known speakers and panels for the rest of the day, including Lily Tang Williams, Stephen Stamboulieh, Carl Higbie, Mark Robinson, John Lovell, and Dana Loesch.
While speakers and panels took to the main stage, a second stage hosted other well-known speakers and panels, including John Lott, Dan Wos, and Kerry Slone. There were also panels about emergency preparedness, state and local advocacy, and a panel of GOA lawyers. The panel of GOA lawyers gave a glimpse behind the scenes of the multiple lawsuits filed by GOA against unconstitutional laws. If there were one panel that shouldn’t have been missed, it would be this legal panel.
GOA also held free classes for members. One of the most critical classes one could attend is a “stop the bleed” class. GOA held several of these classes throughout the weekend, which were well attended. GOA also held activism training to teach gun owners how to get involved and make a difference. The classrooms were also used for regional meetups, allowing members to connect with others from the same area.
In addition to the product launches from Henry and Canik, several other companies launched products, including XTech Tactical, which launched several new magazines that increased the compacity of magazines. Viktos, AMEND 2, and others launched products at the show.
Saturday night, nationally known country music star Easton Corbin held a free concert. The concert was going to be held outside but was moved inside due to the weather. Although it did start a little late, everyone in attendance enjoyed the show. CCW Safe sponsored the show. CCW Safe provides self-defense coverage.
Sunday morning, the crowds returned for the second public day of the event. Speakers on the main stage included GOA Executive Vice President John Velleco, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R), and Representative Victoria Spartz (R-IN). The most well-known speaker to take the stage on Sunday was former Congressional candidate and YouTuber Brandon Herrera. Once again, the main stage was packed with gun owners.
The forum was also packed with GOA members wanting to hear from Braden Langley from Langley Outdoors Academy, Michael Cargill, and Anthony from the Armed Scholar. Several breakout sessions were held in the forum. The speakers and panels were excellent, and the information was invaluable.
During the weekend, there were many book signings. John Lott was there signing books. So was Mark Smith of Four Boxes Diner, John Lovell, Dan Wos, Stephen Willeford, Paul Glasco of Legally Armed America, and Erich Pratt. Not only did members get a signed book, but they also got a picture with these great authors. The lines were long, but it was worth the wait.
Outside the Knoxville Convention Center, the anti-gun publication “The Trace” was trying to gather intel for a hit piece. The Trace is funded by anti-gun organizations such as Everytown for Gun Safety. The “undercover reporter” approached me outside the convention center to get information about what was happening inside. The reporter quickly changed his mind about talking to me when he realized who he was speaking to and quickly wandered off. He did keep making rounds and trying to ambush attendees with loaded questions.
AmmoLand reached out to The Trace for a comment regarding their undercover reporter’s attendance at the Gun Owners of America G.O.A.L.S conference in Knoxville, TN. As of the time of publication, The Trace has not responded to our request. Should they provide a statement, we will update this article accordingly.
Overall, the event was a huge success and has already been confirmed to be held again next year. This event will rival and might even surpass other well-known gun events held throughout the year.
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
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