One year ago, News2A, along with contributors John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot, and Charlie Cook, host of Riding Shotgun with Charlie, attended an invite-only town hall hosted by NRA leadership at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. At that meeting, the NRA’s officers asked those in attendance to spread the word: the NRA was turning a page. The audience, a room of press, board members, life members, firearms instructors, and others chosen specifically for their reach and influence, was asked to go back to their communities and tell people what they heard and saw.
On Super Bowl Sunday, 2026, we were back in the same room, but with a notable change at the top. Last year, the town hall was led by then-President Bob Barr, a member of the “old guard.” This year, the president’s seat belongs to Bill Bachenberg, joined by First Vice President Mark Vaughan, Second Vice President Rocky Marshall, and CEO/EVP Doug Hamlin – the NRA 2.0 team. The question wasn’t whether NRA 2.0 was real. It was whether the NRA had delivered on what it promised.
Here’s what we observed.
New Leadership and High Responsibility
Bill Bachenberg had barely settled into his role as a newly elected officer when the weight of the NRA’s past landed squarely on his shoulders. Within weeks of taking office, he was called in for depositions by the New York Attorney General. Shortly after, he was ordered to testify before the judge overseeing the case. What was supposed to be 30 minutes turned into a grueling 2.5-hour session.
It was during that testimony that the “NRA 2.0” moniker was born. “The judge is quizzing me back and forth, back and forth,” Bachenberg recalled. “And then he finally goes, ‘Mr. Bachenberg, how do we know the NRA is not going to go back to its old days?’ And I don’t know why I ever said this, but I said, ‘Your Honor, this is NRA 2.0.'”
The judge took him at his word. In his ruling, the judge adopted the phrase and held both Bachenberg and First Vice President Mark Vaughan personally responsible for ensuring, in Bachenberg’s words, “no backsliding.” Bachenberg acknowledged the gravity of that outcome: “It’s a pretty big burden to have the future of the NRA on our two shoulders.”
That’s the weight this new team of officers carries. And to their credit, they appear to be taking it seriously. “We ran on transparency, accountability, and trust,” Bachenberg told the room, “And that’s what we’re here for.”
The Wayne LaPierre Era is Over
One of the most significant developments worth emphasizing: every member of the so-called “old guard,” the executive directors and board members who enabled or supported the Wayne LaPierre era, is now gone from the NRA board. Not a single one remains. The Wayne LaPierre era is over. The current board, according to Bachenberg, is functioning like a real governing body for the first time in years. Committees that hadn’t met in six or seven years are now meeting regularly. Board meetings have been cut from 15 hours to eight. And over 100 non-board subject matter experts have been brought in to fill gaps in expertise.
Financial Recovery and Organizational Progress
EVP Doug Hamlin reported that 2025 was the NRA’s best financial year in recent memory. “2025 was the best year that we have had in years. We were in the black by a decent margin,” Hamlin said, adding that the organization was “coming off three pretty difficult years.” Leadership credits the business acumen of the officer team, all of whom are successful businessmen volunteering their time to serve the NRA without compensation.
On the legislative front, the NRA filed over 10 new lawsuits in 2025, submitted three Supreme Court petitions, and filed more than 20 amicus briefs, nine of which were at the U.S. Supreme Court. Josh Savani, covering for NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford, said the organization is hopeful the court will soon “take a case that actually sets a clear precedent” that “the Second Amendment does not allow those types of bans on common firearms.”
The NRA’s political influence remains tangible. Hamlin described visits to the White House, the Oval Office, and the Senate committees, with senators actively seeking to learn their NRA grades ahead of upcoming elections. “Your Second Amendment rights in the United States of America have never been stronger than they are today,” Hamlin told those in attendance.
Modernizing the NRA
The NRA is hiring a COO with AI and IT experience to overhaul what leadership openly admitted are antiquated systems. A members app is in development, training materials are being rewritten, and a new Members Benefits Program is rolling out with significant discounts from industry partners like Daniel Defense.
Vaughan, who, along with Bachenberg and Marshall, works on NRA business seven days a week, framed the work in generational terms. “The NRA will be back. We’ll be back soon, and we’ll be back better than ever,” he said. “We do not get compensated for this at all,” he added, noting that his own children have asked him why he puts so much time into the work. “It’s because it’s so vital. It’s so important. And we do it for those young kids I see out walking the show.”
Marshall echoed the sentiment, telling the audience that “the best years are the ones in front of us and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Transparency from NRA Leadership
News2A asked the executive team: “Since last year, when we were here, just a year ago, and you made the same request that we spread the word, how have you seen the velocity of new membership signups and people coming back?”
Hamlin didn’t sugarcoat it. “We’re trying to stop the attrition. We’re still losing members,” he said. But he pointed to signs of progress, noting that the NRA’s reputation is improving in the broader firearms community. “What I say to John [Petrolino] and Charlie [Cook] is ‘tell the truth, report on what you see and hear.’ And fortunately, it’s been a positive report.” He urged members to recruit their families and remind them of the NRA’s 155-year commitment to freedom. “This is an organization that is irreplaceable,” he said.
A firearms trainer in the audience backed that up, saying he’s seen a noticeable shift on the ground. “I’m getting a whole lot less hostility towards the NRA when I do the recruiting efforts,” he said. “People used to just come up and say ‘I’m not rejoining’ or ‘we’re not renewing my membership.’ They’re not doing that anymore.” He added, “I’m really glad the apology tour is over. It’s time to move on.”
Bachenberg followed up with what he calls his “10 by 30” presidential directive: 10 million members by 2030. “There’s 107 million gun owners out there,” he said. “We should get to 10 million members by 2030.”
The leadership was also forthright about persistent member complaints around excessive mail, Chinese-made merchandise, and slow membership processing. These issues were acknowledged openly, a departure from the old NRA’s tendency to ignore criticism. “I don’t know what I don’t know,” Bachenberg said. “So if you’ve got suggestions… we’re open.”
The NRA Foundation Fight
One issue not discussed at length during the town hall, but critical to the NRA 2.0 story, is the ongoing lawsuit between the NRA and the NRA Foundation. As John Petrolino reported for Bearing Arms, the NRA alleges that former old guard directors who lost control of the NRA board have effectively seized the Foundation, slashing funding to flagship programs, including cuts of over 50% to competitive shooting and range services. The NRA claims the Foundation holds over $160 million in funds raised by NRA members. It’s a battle that underscores just how determined the remnants of the old regime are to claw back influence.
What the NRA Is Asking of You
Just like last year, the NRA’s message to the room was simple: spread the word. The NRA 2.0 leadership is asking current members, former members who left, and prospective members to give the organization another look. As Hamlin put it: “This is an organization that is irreplaceable.”
News2A will continue to cover the NRA’s progress.
