Simply put, the future of your NRA is bright. I view 2025 as a year of optimism and opportunity for the nation’s oldest civil-rights association. NRA has an organization-wide commitment to honesty, transparency and accountability—to doing the right thing. Throughout my career, as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a publisher, as a CEO for other companies and especially here at the NRA, doing the right thing is the only path I’ve known. Making tough decisions—and I have had to do that already as NRA’s chief executive—is not always easy. By doing the right thing, I can look an NRA member in the eye, shake his or her hand, and know that whatever call I made on any issue was appropriate and above-board.
Do the right thing when no one is looking. That commitment to honesty and transparency is why I serve as your executive vice president and chief executive officer today. I was backed and elected by the majority of the board of directors who wanted change. Change for the best interest of every member, like you.
As you can read in NRA President Bob Barr’s column elsewhere in this issue, we have emerged from a cloud not created by current leadership and an unvarnished political attack that turned into a years-long court battle for the very survival of your NRA. That said, mistakes were made; procedures were not followed. Whatever comes, strict controls are now in place, up and down all levels of NRA. I am dedicated to them. We also have Chief Compliance Officer Bob Mensinger on the job. The Mission Statement included here, as well as NRA’s Core Values, are examples of Bob’s hard work and our commitment.
That said, I am not about the past. I am about the future. I’m pleased to share with every NRA member that we concluded a highly successful winter NRA Board of Directors meeting in January. At the board meeting, I presented the current state of your association’s management and finances—with NRA’s staff leadership team beside me—and that we are on right path. The values of NRA are the reason why I chose to serve as your executive vice president and CEO.
After a full week of committee meetings—and all of the NRA’s most important committees did meet in January—there was a marathon Board of Directors meeting. You’ll hear more about what occurred there, but I wanted you to hear some of the highlights first from me.
In consultation with others, I made the decision to not move NRA to Texas. We would stand and fight from our current headquarters in Fairfax, Va. And that we have done. When we were in Dallas last year, a majority of NRA members at the Annual Meeting of Members voted to keep your Association right where it is, on the corridor leading to the heart of power in Washington, D.C. NRA’s board voted to dissolve the NRA Committee on Relocation at the meeting.
The board also voted to dissolve the Special Litigation Committee. It was created while previous leadership was conflicted in ongoing litigation. I don’t have space to explain all of it here, but decision-making is now in the hands of executive staff, including the very capable General Counsel Mike Blaz, with advice from NRA’s Legal Affairs Committee.
As we look ahead to 2025, I wanted to highlight several developments that will impact our important work together in the coming year:
• Litigation Progress: Our ongoing litigation is winding down, which means a significant reduction in associated expenses.
• 2025 Budget Approved: We’ve finalized the most optimistic and realistic budget NRA has had in years. This will allow us to invest more in our best-in-class programs and services.
• Favorable Leadership Climate: Thanks to the arduous work of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, NRA members and their votes at the polls, we have made changes in leadership in the White House and Congress. This year, 2025, promises to bring favorable conditions for Second Amendment rights. Second Amendment freedom in America is stronger.
• Membership Growth: Growing our membership remains our top priority. We are all recruiters—if your friends or colleagues aren’t members yet, encourage them to join. I urge every NRA member to engage with their local clubs and participate in or even volunteer at upcoming Friends of NRA dinners and events. Be an active part of our success.
As we move forward, we shall do so as one united, strong organization. Together, with the support of our board members, industry partners, staff, donors and each and every NRA member, we can make 2025 our most impactful year yet for this proud Association. Thank you for your dedication and commitment. Full speed ahead.
