Former Rep. Bob Barr elected new NRA president

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr (Ga.) was elected as the new president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), as the gun-rights advocacy group turns a new chapter following the resignation of Wayne LaPierre earlier this year.

Barr, who served in the House of Representatives from 1995 until 2003, said the NRA needs to expand membership, particularly in a presidential election year.

“I thank my colleagues for their support of my election as NRA President,” Barr said in a statement. “I have been a fighter my whole life and I commit to boldly fight for our Second Amendment rights on behalf of the millions of NRA members. We need to grow our ranks, especially in this election year, and I pledge to focus my attention on doing just that.”

Barr, the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee in 2008, was elected to his new post by the NRA’s board of directors Monday.

Doug Hamlin was elected as the organization’s executive vice president and CEO. Hamlin, who previously served as the executive director of NRA Publications, joined the group in 2014.

“I am truly humbled to be elected by the NRA Board of Directors as the next Executive Vice President & CEO of the NRA,” Hamlin said in a statement. “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.”

Former President Trump addressed the NRA members during Saturday’s convention. He received the group’s endorsement and urged the members to vote in November.

LaPierre, who led the organization for more than three decades, announced his resignation in early January as the group was dealing with a civil suit.

LaPierre was ordered to pay more than $4 million for mismanaging charitable funds in February by a Manhattan jury.