National Rifle Association Announces Big Changes

FAIRFAX, Va. — (AmmoLand.com) — The National Rifle Association made an announcement concerning the restructuring of the organization; they said that changes are coming. NRA President Bill Bachenberg is at the helm of these moves.

NRA 2.0

After the fallout with New York’s lawsuit against the Association and the resignation of former Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, the NRA had to change. So-called “reform” candidates got elected to the Board of Directors in 2024, with a sweep in 2025. In 2024, pro-NRA 2.0 Doug Hamlin assumed the seat vacated by LaPierre. The 2025 officers’ election found long-time Director Bill Bachenberg unseating former President Bob Barr.

There’s no doubt that there’s been a major shift in the leadership at the NRA. The shift has been one of transparency and of the best interests of the membership. The upcoming 2026 Board of Directors election looks like the reform-minded directors will hold a supermajority in controlling the Association.

Bachenberg Speaks Out

During an interview with NRA President Bill Bachenberg, he enthusiastically spoke about the direction of the Association.

“The board is now running the organization where, years ago with Wayne, it was the other way around,” Bachenberg said. “Wayne ran the Association, and the board was cannon fodder.”

Under the shakeup, Bachenberg says that they’re going to be streamlining operations. Too many divisions and programs stand as “silos” and that the group needs to take a more horizontal approach to how they do business. “We have too many divisions that are standalone …” he said.

What’s Going to Change?

According to the NRA’s statement, the “changes are aimed at maximizing member dollars, streamlining operations, and investing in critical programs that best serve NRA members and ensure the long-term strength of the organization.”

Some of the areas that Bachenberg said are being overhauled include:

• Increase in communications with members
• The hiring of a chief operating officer to assist in day-to-day functions
• An app is scheduled to be released to help facilitate those communication needs
• A refocus on core programs like clubs and associations, education and training, and competition
• Doing away with ineffective mailers and sending only quality messages to the members
• Membership benefits like discounts on firearms, ammunition, and accessories
• Putting resources into quality programming rather than quantity
• The merge of membership, marketing, and advancement divisions into a single department
• Changes to NRA publications (below)

NRA Publications now NRA Media

NRA Publications will be changing to NRA Media. Their four magazines will be streamlined down to two; American Rifleman and American Hunter. Those two publications will be running on a quarterly rather than monthly basis. The rest of their content will be digital.

“In the past 15 years, major publications have foregone print altogether and moved to digital-only models,” the NRA observed.

“The younger members are saying, ‘You’re backwards. You’re old.’ and my old members love their magazines,” Bachenberg explained. “So we had to come up with a compromise, because the cost of producing a magazine with printing paper (and) postage just keeps getting more and more expensive. With the postal rates going up, it’s not sustainable.”

Business Leaders at the Helm

Bachenberg is excited to lean on the many talents of his board and committee members. “We’ve got really great business people,” he said. “Our Finance Chairman, I think he’s turned around five different companies, right? So he’s acquired failing companies and turned them around.”

Through his own career, Bachenberg is a businessman himself. He’s held multiple companies over the years and said that his primary company, he’s “had to reinvent … five times in 33 years.” 

“Mark (Vaughan, the first vice president), you know, took a company public and started another company,” Bachenberg said. “Rocky (Marshall) was in the oil and gas industry that was feast or famine…

“So we’ve got business people here running the organization as it should be run, and (I’m) really excited about our future. Here we’re building a foundation for the next 154 years.”

Yes, A Reduction in Force is Forthcoming

“These necessary changes will, unfortunately, impact staff,” the NRA said in a statement. “The NRA’s leadership did not make these decisions lightly but must realign resources to ensure America’s largest and oldest gun rights organization remains strong and ready to address the fight ahead.”

Bachenberg did note that “there will be some furloughs involved with this” and they’ll be announced on Friday. “So it will have some pain, unfortunately, but we really need to prepare.”

Executive Vice President Doug Hamlin on the Changes

“It’s our duty to ensure the long-term strength of the Second Amendment and health of our critical organization,” Hamlin said in a statement. “The NRA has delivered on its promise to provide a pro-gun President, Congress, and Supreme Court for our members.

“These successes have not gone unnoticed by our adversaries, who are doubling down on election spending, lawfare, and new programs to push their radical gun-grabbing agenda.

“To ensure we are prepared for the fights ahead, we must create a leaner NRA that focuses on stretching every member dollar to best protect your right to keep and bear arms.”

Bachenberg’s Prepared Statement

“The NRA is listening and anticipating our members’ needs,” Bachenberg said. “NRA 2.0 is re-focusing on its core missions of protecting our God-given Second Amendment rights, gun safety and training, supporting our Clubs & Associations and shooting competitions.

“We are flattening the organizational structure, redeploying staff, and exploiting technology to better manage the day-to-day activities of the Association. By knocking down the current vertical silo’s and creating cross-functional teams, there will be less duplication, stronger member services, and better communications.”

Active or Activists?

Bachenberg credits the ability to make all these changes with a driven Board of Directors who are engaging in the governance of the Association. The reform movement, of which Bachenberg is a part of, has proved to be fruitful.

“Today, the board has taken its fiduciary responsibility. It’s using the bylaws to do what we need to do, and it’s a new way,” Bachenberg explained. “You know, the Association isn’t used to an active board, right? And it’s not an activist board —  it’s an active (board).”

NRA’s Promise

“NRA-ILA and General Operations are not affected by today’s announcement,” NRA stated. “The NRA is increasing its investments in its core missions of promoting and training the safe and lawful use of firearms as it fights for the Second Amendment rights of Americans in courthouses and state houses across the country, and in Washington, D.C.”

The Future of the Association

What’s going to come of the Association under these changes? With a leaner, more transparent, and more functional National Rifle Association, both the elected leadership and executives will be better able to serve the members. Bachenberg wants to get back to those core missions of the NRA: protecting rights, education and training, and marksmanship and competition.

“We’ve got an energized board that’s excited about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Bachenberg said. “And then we’ll see how it goes. It’s like with any program — we’re change agents.”

About John Petrolino

John Petrolino is a US Merchant Marine Officer, writer, author of Decoding Firearms: An Easy to Read Guide on General Gun Safety & Use and NRA certified pistol, rifle, and shotgun instructor living under and working to change New Jersey’s draconian and unconstitutional gun laws. You can find him on the web at www.johnpetrolino.com on twitter at @johnpetrolino, facebook at @thepenpatriot and on instagram @jpetrolinoiii .