ATLANTA, GA — In a major shift that’s being celebrated across the pro-Second Amendment community, Bill Bachenberg has been elected as the new President of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The decision was made by the NRA’s Board of Directors during their 2025 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, which drew over 70,000 members, families, and supporters to the Georgia World Congress Center.
Bachenberg, a successful Pennsylvania businessman and longtime NRA leader, steps into the role at a critical time. He previously served as First Vice President and was the national chairman of the 2020 “Sportsmen for Trump” coalition. In 2024, he also helped lead the NRA’s partnership with Hunter Nation on the widely praised “Hunt The Vote” initiative.
“I’m proud of the enduring spirit of the millions of NRA members who have stood strong with the organization through the challenges of recent years,” Bachenberg said. “I’m humbled to help lead the NRA into a future we can all take pride in.”
Bachenberg’s election is being widely seen as a move to restore focus and momentum at the NRA. Hunter Nation, a top grassroots hunting advocacy group, called it “a huge win for hunters across the country.”
Donald Trump Jr., who sits on the Hunter Nation Board, said the appointment is “a positive, and much needed step in the right direction for the NRA.”
Ted Nugent, Hunter Nation board member and outspoken 2A advocate, praised the move: “The election of Bill Bachenberg is proof that the NRA’s 2.0 strategy is in the best hands possible, and the mighty NRA is back on a True North path!”
Hunter Nation Chairman Rock Bordelon added, “America needs a strong and active NRA. Bill Bachenberg is the right person to get the NRA back on track.”
Reformers have solidified control of NRA leadership.
Bill Bachenberg beats out Bill Barr for NRA President. Mark Vaughan moves to First Vice President. Rocky Marshall becomes Second Vice President. All the other officers stayed the same.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) April 28, 2025
Also during the meeting, Doug Hamlin was unanimously reelected as NRA Executive Vice President & CEO.
“This Association is moving forward, full speed ahead,” Hamlin said, promising continued support for shooting sports, firearms training, and the fight to defend the right to self-defense.
The NRA Board also elected Mark Vaughan of Oklahoma as First Vice President and 2024 Reform Candidate, Rocky Marshall of Texas as Second Vice President. Additional appointments included John Commerford (NRA-ILA), Josh Savani (General Operations), Sonya B. Rowling (Treasurer), Robert Mensinger (Chief Compliance Officer), and John C. Frazer (Secretary).
The NRA’s next Annual Meeting will be held in Houston, Texas, from April 17 to 19, 2026.
For pro-gun Americans looking for signs of renewal and leadership, the NRA just sent a clear message: it’s time to get back to work.
NRA Board Election Results 2025: What Happened & What it Means for the Membership
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Notice that the slate of elected reformers did NOT have the votes to prevent the self-admitted crook Frazer from being elected! Still recommend no donations until so called reforms are documented and vetted via transparency no just the often mentioned “trust me!” Way too many board members at the NRA meeting stated via microphone that we need to put the past behind us and more forward!!!! “Sometimes the only way to move forward is to revisit the things in your past that were holding you back. You have to deal with them head on no matter how scary they may… Read more »
The NRA is so much more than the nonsense that has taken place with the lawfare against it by the New York state authorities, but they have also gotten a new board that hopefully will bring it around and restore the activities that they have had to cut due to what has happened and the result of the lawsuits. I will continue to support them and will also donate to them and hope for the best, and there are a number of reasons why, but the primary reason is the training and the “Eddie Eagle” program that they are doing… Read more »
I see that nothing has really changed at the NRA.
“The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves.” Vladimir Lenin
GOA no NRA!
Oh Boy! a new head fudd.
i am a life member that used to make frequent donations and worked to promote them in the past. those days are over, they essentially stole my money and spit in my face. Trust lost is very hard to recover. The NRA is dead to me. Several other organizations are actually leading the fight on issues and the NRA as usual is nowhere to be found.
They still have Larry “Wide Stance” Craig on the board…
And Secretary John Frazer was re-elected, he was found guilty of falsifying statements on NRA records.
And director Jason Wilson accuses me of “abuse”,
https://2awhiterook.com/more-from-nra-director-jason-wilson-about-my-abuse/
https://2awhiterook.com/get-to-know-nra-director-larry-wide-stance-craig/
Where was Ted Nugent in his decades on the NRA BoD, and failing to call out the corruption?…. Why didn’t he speak up? I thought he was the brass balled rocker. Instead he quietly resigned…