Gunmaker Is a No-Show at NRA Convention

The company that made the AR-15-style rifle that was used in the Texas school massacre has dropped out of the National Rifle Association convention in Houston this weekend. Daniel Defense, which is based in Georgia, confirmed it manufactured the weapon bought by an 18-year-old and used in the shootings Tuesday at Robb Elementary School, as did law enforcement officials, the Houston Chronicle reports. The company had booked an exhibitor's booth and promised "Giveaways, Demos, Celebrity Appearances & More!" in an online ad, per the Washington Post. Daniel Defense is not on the exhibitor list anymore.

And the company's social media accounts have gone dark. Before that happened, a tweet by the company was captured that went up on the gunman's 18th birthday, the moment he was able to buy the weapons legally. The photo is of a toddler with an AR-15-type weapon in his lap. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it," the May 16 post said, a reference to a proverb in the Bible. An ammunition clip is on the ground near him, and the boy is wearing a T-shirt that says, "#Rascal." A prayer emoji follows. "Sickening," one reply on Twitter said.

After the killings in Uvalde, the company posted: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic events in Texas this week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and community devastated by this evil act." One of the replies to the post showing a child with a weapon was from Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Democrat. "I'll trade you all the moments of silence, for one moment of action," he wrote. Daniel Defense did not respond to requests for comment, per the Post. (More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)