Indiana Republicans dropped NRA President Oliver North as a speaker at a Noblesville event Sunday because it would have been "the wrong place and wrong time," said Indiana Republican Party chairman Kyle Hupfer.

Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear agreed with that assessment, saying he didn't believe the community had healed enough from a school shooting in May to have a "pro-gun speech."

The Republican mayor said he didn't know of North's scheduled appearance in advance. Ditslear noted, however, that he is a supporter of the Second Amendment.

Indiana GOP initially said that North had dropped out of the rally due to a scheduling conflict, according to a press release sent early Sunday morning.

Later in the day, Hupfer issued a statement, saying: “Oliver North will not be visiting Noblesville today, as it simply would have been the wrong place and wrong time."

The National Rifle Association president had been scheduled to speak at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, just miles from where a student opened fire in a Noblesville West Middle School classroom in May.

The political rally went on without North. Republican Senate candidate Mike Braun was scheduled to appear at the event, along with Gov. Eric Holcomb, Secretary of State Connie Lawson and other statewide GOP candidates.

The event was one of several Republican rallies being held throughout the state on Sunday.

Indiana GOP was promoting North as a speaker as recently as Saturday night, according to a screenshot of the party's twitter account. That tweet has since been removed.

Parents in the group Noblesville Stands Together, which was created after the shooting, released a statement Sunday saying they thought the appearance would have been “poor taste.”

“Honestly, this was insensitive and hurtful,” said parent Nathan Lambert, whose child was at Noblesville West Middle School during the shooting. “I’m a Republican and I’d like to know why my State Party thought this was a good idea.”

Since the shooting, the group of more than 20 parents have met with Holcomb and State Police Superintendent Doug Carter to push for state laws that would require gun owners to store unused weapons securely and better ensure that people with mental illness can’t buy guns.

Noblesville parent Hyde Heckman said in the statement the NRA has opposed similar legislative efforts.

“They have contributed to a toxic, polarizing dialogue on gun reform that has not produced results that are needed to keep our kids safe,” he said.

North's potential presence in Noblesville just months after a school shooting also drew criticism on Twitter.

North was in Missouri on Saturday campaigning for another tight midterm race, where Republican Senate candidate Josh Hawley is facing Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill.

It's fairly safe to say that "it does not look good to have someone show up that is very pro-gun" in a place that has had an event like May's shooting, said Andrew Downs, associate professor of political science at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

That said, it's entirely possible that whoever scheduled the speaker may have thought Noblesville was the right place, Downs said.

"There will be a group of people who will say that it was a good idea to have him speak in that location," said Downs, noting that responses to school shootings lately have included calls for arming teachers.

A 13-year-old Noblesville boy is accused of shooting his teacher, Jason Seaman, and 13-year-old classmate Ella Whistler on May 25. The suspect has agreed to the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty plea and will appear in court on Monday for a hearing to determine what his future will be.

Contact IndyStar reporter Emily Hopkins at 317-444-6409 or emily.hopkins@indystar.com.