The National Rifle Association has had its share of bumps and bruises. However, the last few years, they’ve been on the mend and today they’ve announced a major organizational shift.
In the wake of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawfare against the NRA and the resignation of disgraced former Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, the Association has been tirelessly working to mend itself.
New EVP Doug Hamlin took over in 2024 and long-time Director Bill Bachenberg became the president earlier this year. Promises have been coming from the leadership that transparency and fiduciary responsibility are their priorities. Both the executive and elected leadership have been delivering; today they’ve announced that major shifts are coming to the NRA.
“Today, the NRA is announcing organizational restructuring,” the NRA said in a statement. “These changes are aimed at maximizing member dollars, streamlining operations, and investing in critical programs that best serve NRA members and ensure the long-term strength of the organization.”
NRA President Bill Bachenberg said in an interview that:
The board is now running the organization where, years ago with Wayne, it was the other way around. Wayne ran the Association, and the board was cannon fodder.
What are some of the changes coming to the National Rifle Association?
- The hiring of a full-time chief operating officer to keep the organization functioning in its day-to-day operations
- The consolidation of NRA Publications and rebranding as NRA Media
- Two of the four journals will be cut; American Rifleman and American Hunter will become quarterly publications
- New membership benefits, like discounts on guns and ammunition, will be rolled out
- An app is being developed and will aid in communication with members
- An effort to ensure members are aware of BOD meetings, so they may attend if they wish
- Quality over quantity will be the focus on programming
- The NRA will focus more on: clubs and associations, education and training, and competition
- And more…
“Restructuring will occur within NRA Media (formerly NRA Publications), which has avoided substantial cuts similar to those impacting a large segment of the print media market,” NRA’s release states. “In the past 15 years, major publications have foregone print altogether and moved to digital-only models, yet the NRA currently releases four print publications, 12 months of the year. These publications will be consolidated into our two legacy brands, American Rifleman and American Hunter, which will move to a monthly, enhanced, premium digital magazine, accompanied by print versions released quarterly.”
Too many “feel good” programs that don’t directly impact all members are ongoing within the NRA. While they’re “good” programs, they’re not broad enough to be effective.
“We need to come back with our programs of excellence, right?” Bachenberg said. “We need to deliver quality programs at a level of excellence. Instead of 100 programs that are just not up to par. ILA has always been a stellar program for us. It’s accelerating under John Commerford’s leadership.”
Bachenberg said that they’re seeking to put more funding into the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. Aside from gearing up for the midterm elections, members are seeking more litigation and lobbying action on the local and state levels. “They’re fighting right now, 60 lawsuits, and a lot of them at the state and local levels – again, what our members are demanding,” Bachenberg explained.
“It’s our duty to ensure the long-term strength of the Second Amendment and health of our critical organization,” Doug Hamlin, the executive vice president of the NRA said in a statement. “The NRA has delivered on its promise to provide a pro-gun President, Congress, and Supreme Court for our members. These successes have not gone unnoticed by our adversaries, who are doubling down on election spending, lawfare, and new programs to push their radical gun-grabbing agenda. To ensure we are prepared for the fights ahead, we must create a leaner NRA that focuses on stretching every member dollar to best protect your right to keep and bear arms.”
The NRA explained that “these necessary changes will, unfortunately, impact staff” and that “NRA’s leadership did not make these decisions lightly but must realign resources to ensure America’s largest and oldest gun rights organization remains strong and ready to address the fight ahead.” Bachenberg added that “there will be some furloughs involved with this” and those announcements will come on Friday October 31. “So it will have some pain, unfortunately, but we really need to prepare.”
What’s in store for the Association as they write this new chapter? It certainly appears that the members are being heard. Under the NRA 2.0 Bachenberg/Hamlin leadership, the Association is changing for the better. We’ll be anxiously awaiting to see a stronger and more efficient National Rifle Association under the restructuring plans.
