NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre Steps Down On Jan 31st

According to the organization, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) chief executive has resigned.

Wayne LaPierre, 74, will step down as NRA president on January 31 after managing the organization for over three decades.

His resignation comes only days before a civil trial in New York, where he and other senior officers are accused of squandering NRA funding.

Mr. LaPierre stated in a statement that he will continue to support the NRA.

“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,” he told the crowd.

“My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”

In a statement, the NRA claimed that Mr. LaPierre’s decision to retire was due to health issues.

NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre Steps Down

His retirement comes as a lawsuit trial in New York begins on Monday, alleging that he and three other current and former NRA leaders violated the state’s non-profit statutes.

Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, filed the case in 2020 and also charged the leaders with wasting millions of dollars in funding to cover excessive personal spending.

The trial will last six weeks and be judged by a jury of six.

In a statement announcing Mr. Lapierre’s resignation, the NRA said it will continue to defend the lawsuit.

They earlier called it a “baseless, premeditated attack.”

The NRA is a prominent political organization in the United States, well-known for its heavy lobbying against all sorts of gun control.

NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre Steps Down

The organization has also frequently maintained that more guns make the country safer.

It is based on and vehemently maintains a contested interpretation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which it claims grants US citizens the right to bear arms.

It provides direct funding to US politicians and lawmakers who support its goals.

However, its membership has been declining in recent years. CBS stated in 2022 that the lobby group’s revenue, primarily from membership fees, decreased by 23% between 2016 and 2020.

The NRA reported six million members in 2018. In a deposition three years later, Mr Lapierre stated that the organization’s membership had fallen below 4.9 million.

NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre Steps Down

Mr. LaPierre, a renowned gun rights lobbyist in the United States, has led the organization since 1991.

Mr. LaPierre, according to NRA President Charles Cotton, “has done as much to protect Second Amendment freedom as anyone.”

He referred to him as a “towering figure in the fight for constitutional freedom” who contributed to the organization’s formation.

In February, Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA’s head of general operations, will take over as interim chief executive and executive vice president.

SOURCE – (BBC)