The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced on Friday that long-time CEO and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre will resign at the end of the month, marking an end of an era for one of the country’s most influential lobbying groups.
“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” LaPierre said. “I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”
The 74-year-old cited health reasons for his resignation. Here’s what you need to know:
LaPierre faces a crucial legal battle
LaPierre’s resignation announcement comes just days before he is set to go to trial in a New York civil case that alleges he and other executives took millions from the organization for their own gain.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) alleges LaPierre and other senior leaders diverted millions of dollars away from the group’s charitable mission and towards luxury personal benefits.
Following an 18-month investigation, James said the NRA fostered “a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight,” costing the group $64 million over three years.
The NRA and LaPierre have denied wrongdoing. The case initially sought to completely dissolve the NRA, but that provision was thrown out last year. James also demanded LaPierre and another executive be removed from their posts.
LaPierre remains a defendant in the case, which is set to go to trial starting Monday.
James celebrates the news
New York Attorney General Letitia James arrives at New York Supreme Court, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
James hailed LaPierre’s resignation in a statement Friday while committing to continue the case.
“While the end of the Wayne LaPierre era is an important victory in our case, our push for accountability continues. LaPierre’s resignation validates our claims against him, but it will not insulate him or the NRA from accountability,” she said. “Our case will move ahead, and we look forward to proving the facts in court.”
The trial is expected to last about six weeks, with the future of the organization hinging on its outcome.
LaPierre’s lasting legacy
LaPierre led the NRA for over three decades and has been an employee since 1977. In that time, the group has grown from a modest gun safety advocacy group to one of the most powerful lobbying interests in Washington.
Championing legislation in Congress and statehouses across the country, the NRA’s political influence could be felt in every major race, with the group’s endorsements making or breaking many candidacies.
The group also spent hundreds of millions on legal services, challenging gun control measures nationwide.
The group’s major legal victories include last year’s Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which threw out New York state handgun regulation and started a wave of legal challenges to other gun control measures in dozens of states. The NRA supported the suit.
The NRA’s slow downturn
Wayne LaPierre addresses the National Rifle Association Convention, Friday, April 14, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The organization has faced legal and financial trouble in recent years. Outside the ongoing New York civil case, fundraising has fallen since its recent peak in 2016.
The group’s fundraising and membership have fallen steeply in recent years, losing about a half-million members from 2021-22, according to gun violence news nonprofit The Trace.
The organization raised $213 million in 2022, about half of its 2016 total, according to the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
As gun owners and activists begin to look to upstart rival advocacy organizations, the NRA has struggled to keep its title as the king of the gun lobby. Dwindling finances forced the organization to file for bankruptcy in 2021, though a judge ruled that the process could not go forward.
The NRA’s future
The NRA has not been without LaPierre at its head since George H.W. Bush was president. The monumental shift that will likely come with his replacement will define the future of the group.
Long-time NRA executive and Head of General Operations Andrew Arulanandam will become the interim CEO & EVP of the NRA, the group announced Friday.
“On behalf of the NRA Board of Directors, I thank Wayne LaPierre for his service,” NRA President Charles Cotton said. “Wayne has done as much to protect Second Amendment freedom as anyone.”
“Wayne is a towering figure in the fight for constitutional freedom, but one of his other talents is equally important: he built an organization that is bigger than him,” he continued. “Under the direction of Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA will continue to thrive – with a renewed energy in our business operations and grassroots advocacy. Our future is bright and secure.”