Former president says Second Amendment advocacy group has been ‘fighting for its life’ for past six years.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) Board of Directors elected a new president, executive vice president, and CEO during a May 20 meeting, the day after its 153rd Annual Meetings and Exhibits closed in Dallas, Texas.
The board released a statement announcing former U.S. Congressman Bob Barr was elected president, and Doug Hamlin is executive vice president and CEO.
Mr. Barr is an attorney who represented Georgia’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 2008.
In the statement released Monday, Mr. Barr vowed to help restore the NRA after what many see as years of decline.
“I thank my colleagues for their support of my election as NRA President. We need to grow our ranks, especially in this election year, and I pledge to focus my attention on doing just that,” he is quoted as saying.
Mr. Hamlin replaces Wayne LaPierre, the longtime face of the NRA, who resigned last January just as he was going to trial in New York accused of financial misconduct.
Andrew Arulanandam, an executive and head of general operations for the NRA, stepped in as interim CEO and executive vice president after Mr. LaPierre’s resignation.
Mr. Hamlin served as Executive Director of NRA Publications before being selected as executive vice president and CEO. Prior to joining NRA in 2014, Mr. Hamlin had a long career in the publishing industry, the NRA press release states.
“I am truly humbled to be elected,” stated Mr. Hamlin. “Our Association is at a decisive moment in our history, and the future of America and constitutional freedoms depends on the success of the NRA.”
As one of his first official acts, Mr. Hamlin re-appointed Randy Kozuch as the executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and Joseph P. De Bergalis, Jr., as the executive director of NRA General Operations.
