The National Rifle Association has canceled its annual members meeting that was supposed to take place in Springfield in September over concerns about the pandemic.

The NRA moved the meeting from Nashville to Springfield earlier this year because of the coronavirus.

Up to 1,200 people were expected to come to Springfield this fall.

Here’s more from the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau:

Citing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Rifle Association has canceled its annual meeting of members that was scheduled to take place in September in Springfield.

Up to 1,200 people were expected to attend the meeting.

To date in Springfield, more than 70 group events that were booked by the Convention & Visitors Bureau have canceled because of the pandemic. The groups would have generated more than $40 million in expenditures in the community. Dozens of other groups that did not book through the CVB also have canceled.

“Groups that were postponed from spring to the fall are either cancelling or postponing again due to the uncertainty of this pandemic,” said Dana Maugans, sales director at the bureau. “The CVB is working to book new group business for future years.”

The Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit marketing organization dedicated to strengthening the local economy through growth in travel and tourism. For more information, call 881-5300 or visit www.SpringfieldMO.org.