The RedState Gathering in black and white

Here are a few of the twists and turns that the road to the GOP nomination took on Friday as it mingled with Atlanta traffic:

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A disarming start

Georgia is home to what has been called “the guns everywhere law.” But the Intercontinental Buckhead? Not so much. Gatherers, who surely included some hunters, had to check their firearms at the door. The hotel had safety boxes at the front desk.

That didn't sit well with Georgia Gun Owners, a group that aims to be on the right of the National Rifle Association. It questioned the absence of guns at the event on Twitter.

The Intercontinental Buckhead issued a response:

“In accordance with current law, as a private property, we have the right to prohibit firearms on our premises. This policy has been in place and is not reflective of your group, or any groups doing business here at the hotel.”

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Haley ‘not ready’ for veep talk

Presidential candidates weren't the only speakers on Friday. There was also one potential vice presidential candidate in the form of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, although it wasn't anything she wanted to talk about.

“It’s too painful to think about,” Haley said of veep talk. “I say that because nine people died” in June in a shooting at at a black Charleston church. (A man suspected to be a white supremacist has been charged in the massacre.)

Haley’s prominence rose on the national scene when in response for the shootings, she called for removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of her state’s Capitol.

“I’m not ready to think about that. I’m not ready to look into that,” Haley said of a No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket. “Because I’ve got a state to heal. I’ve got to make sure I build South Carolina back up to where she needs to be.”

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Pointed talking from the other side

Georgia Democratic Party Chairman DuBose Porter, naturally, wasn't a speaker at the RedState Gathering. But he was happy to talk about it.

“If anything, this gathering will prove that the GOP field is nothing more than a dozen or so charlatans willing to say anything to get elected,” Porter said. “I’m not sure who will emerge as the ‘victor’ this weekend, but if any of these candidates end up closer than a mile from the White House, the middle class loses.”

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Chamber of derision

Hillary Clinton was a natural target for speakers Friday, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce didn't fare so well, either.

That became clear with a question to Christie:

“The single largest problem conservatives have with the Republican Party now is that the Chamber of Commerce has too much influence,” one person said. “How would you give regular people more of a seat at the table?”

Christie’s response:

“The biggest place the Chamber of Commerce has influence is the tax code. It is made up for the rich. So if you take out all those loopholes and all those deductions, and you just leave those two that most Americans use – to buy a home, and to contribute to charities they believe are doing good works – then you take away the power of the Chamber of Commerce.

“… The reason we’re not dealing with immigration as strongly as we need to be, in my opinion, is because of the Chamber of Commerce. They don’t want to use E-Verify.”

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Absences noted. Well, here anyway

Erick Erickson, the AM750 and 95.5 FM WSB talk show host and brains behind the RedState Gathering, handpicked the candidates appearing this weekend.

That leaves Buckhead without seven candidates: neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New York Gov. George Pataki, Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

Why they aren't here isn't clear in some cases, but Erickson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously why a few didn't make his cut. Santorum was rude in 2012, said Erickson, who added that he sees no "rationale" for Carson's candidacy.

But he holds his greatest disdain for Kasich, criticizing his decision to expand Medicaid based on religious reasons. Thursday night, Erickson said that he “wouldn’t invite John Kasich if he were the last person on Earth.”

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How to keep up

Follow the RedState Gathering action live by adding the AJC on snapchat (username: AJCnews) and keep an eye on our Twitter (@AJC and @GAPoliticsNews) for links to our Periscope feeds and updates throughout the weekend. We'll be bringing you speech highlights, one-on-one interviews with candidates, commentary from our political reporters and, of course, scenes from the event — including Saturday night's tailgate with Trump.

The AJC will provide blanket coverage through the weekend on our Political Insider blog.

The official hashtag for the event is #RSG15.

The entire event will livestream at RedState.com.