Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr (Ga.) was elected the new president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), as the gun rights advocacy group begins a new chapter following the resignation of Wayne LaPierre earlier this year.
Barr, who served in the House of Representatives until 2003, said the NRA needs to expand membership, especially in a presidential election year.
“I thank my colleagues for their support of my election as president of the NRA,” Barr said in a speech rack. “I have been a fighter my entire life and I am committed to courageously fighting 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 promise to focus my attention on that.”
Barr, the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential candidate, was elected to the new position by the NRA board of directors on Monday.
Doug Hamlin was also elected executive vice president and CEO of the organization. Hamlin, who previously served as executive director of NRA Publications, joined the group in 2014.
“I am truly humbled to have been selected 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 defining moment in our history, and the future of America and its constitutional freedoms depend on the success of the NRA.”
Former President Trump addressed NRA members during Saturday's convention. He received the group's support and urged members to vote in November.
LaPierre, who led the organization for more than thirty years, announced his resignation in early January because the group was facing a civil lawsuit.
LaPierre was ordered by a Manhattan jury in February to pay more than $4 million for mismanaging charitable funds.
