Wink Hartman is offering the National Rifle Association the use of Hartman Arena for future NRA events. He tweeted his offer Tuesday afternoon.
“Today I offered the National Rifle Association the use of Hartman Arena for their national conference and future events,” the Wichita businessman tweeted. “We cannot stand by as the liberal anti-second amendment groups mobilize to disarm law-abiding citizens.”
Today, I offered the National Rifle Association the use of Hartman Arena for their national conference and future events. We cannot stand by as the liberal anti-second amendment groups mobilize to disarm law-abiding Americans. #ksleg #2A https://t.co/B2SGN5m2BI
— Wink Hartman (@WinkHartmanKS) February 27, 2018
The NRA’s national meeting is scheduled for May 5 in Dallas, but Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway is urging the nation’s largest gun ownership association to stay home, following a school shooting in Florida that killed 17.
“There will be marches and demonstrations should they come to Dallas,” he said. “And we, Dallas, will be the ones that have to bear the costs, the responsibility, and to protect the citizens.”
According to the Washington Post, the NRA received a discounted rate to rent the Kay Bailey Hutchinson arena, also known as the Dallas Convention Center. The three-day rental fee of $387,778 will be paid by the city’s tourism office.
Hartman’s offer comes on the heels of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach issuing a tweet urging the NRA to bring its annual convention to Kansas.
https://twitter.com/KrisKobach1787/status/967450188926287873
Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, boasts 23,000-square-feet of arena space and 18,000 square-feet of concourse space. It is smaller than the Dallas Convention Center, the NRA’s reserved 2018 event space. It boasts more than 1 million square-feet of exhibit space.
Hartman recently suspended his gubernatorial campaign and endorsed Kobach, fueling speculation that Hartman will join the Kobach campaign as the lieutenant governor candidate.
Kobach told the Sentinel last week that he hasn’t made any final decisions on a running mate, but he said Hartman’s availability broadened the possibilities.
“I’m looking for someone with whom I can work, and most importantly, I am looking for someone who is a rock solid conservative,” Kobach said. “God forbid something happened to me, I would want to ensure that Kansas is in the hands of a very conservative successor as Governor. That’s the bottom line.”