The NRA leadership tracks the promise of transparency and integrity, Doug Hamlin, who replaces former head Wayne Lapierre, told the annual membership conference.
ATLANTA – Doug Hamlin, executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA), said reforms have been implemented to enable the 154-year-old organization to surpass legal issues.
“We are making the necessary changes to make the NRA stronger where we are,” Hamlin told a gathering on April 26th at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta.
New Chief Compliance Director Robert Mensinger told the rally that the NRA has a “gold standard” of accountability.
He was hired as one of 12 conditions last December, communicated by New York Judge Joel Cohen.
Mensinger works directly for the board of directors rather than the NRA administrator, giving him independence to report his findings without fear of retaliation.
Mensinger said board members and management teams were trained and adopted mission statements focused on core values of integrity, accountability and transparency. He said his office has received 36 reports of possible issues this year from NRA employees, volunteers and members.
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“That’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing,” Mensinger said.
Mensinger listed travel expenses in its initial compliance report, including private jet travel, external contract costs, and business arrangements involving NRA officers, directors, key employees or families.
These are all issues that occurred during the NRA’s New York Trial.
As a result, directors, officers and key employees completed their financial disclosures, according to a report by Mensinger. In one case, the excessive 2024 contract with previous board members will end and a report will be prepared for the Internal Revenue Service, the report states.
“We’re trying to change culture. I think we did a pretty good job. We have an effective compliance program right now,” Mensinger told the Epoch Times.
Resolution adopted
At the annual business meeting in Atlanta, members adopted two resolutions. One is to request financial accountability for board members, officers and key employees, and the other is to make more NRA information available to online members.
In December 2024, the NRA agreed to more than a dozen reforms on August 6, 2020 by New York State Attorney General Leticia James to resolve the lawsuit filed by the New York State Attorney General on August 6, 2020, based on a 2019 investigation.
Robert Mensinger, Chief Compliance Officer of the National Rifle Association, will be on display at the NRA’s 154th Annual Meeting and Atlanta on April 26, 2025. Michael Clements/Epoch Times
Lapierre has left an organization that handles fallout from reports that he and other officials used NRA funds on luxury leave, private jets, expensive gifts to donors and other suspicious spending.
Longtime NRA member Ronald Andring said the resolution would hinder board members and employees from linking with entities that could either receive funds from the NRA or benefit board members.
Andring said the resolution’s catalyst was rooted in allegations of fraud that emerged in 2018 and 2019.
“We started asking questions and then we realized that (the allegations) were true,” Andring said.
He said the trial revealed that not only diverted money to benefit himself, but also used the funds to get board members to cooperate with him in dealing with the board.
According to Andring, this helped the election of the Lapierre Rig Board and retaliated against board members who opposed him.
NRA members should check out the vendor offerings at the Gun Lights Group’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on April 26, 2025. Michael Clements/Epoch Times
During the vote on Saturday, board member Amanda Sakur asked the resolution to be introduced to the board’s bylaws committee.
She said language could be an issue when recruiting NRA members, especially those who may serve the board. She expressed support for accountability efforts, but said that bylaws should be more accurate.
Board member David Rainey agreed. Rainey is a history professor at Hillsdale University in Hillsdale, Michigan, and the NRA funds certain programs.
“You have to choose whether to be a director or a professor at Hillsdale,” Rainey said. “If not, I certainly support the intent of this.”
Membership narrowly approved the amended resolution. In this resolution, Andring worked with the NRA Bylaws Committee to clarify the language.
Members want more discussion
Arizona board member Jeff Knox supported the resolution’s intentions but said it wasn’t how it was dealt with.
He said questions should have been discussed and resolved by membership so that the board knows exactly what to do.
“My objection is… I want to argue about it. I don’t want to throw it on the board in a place where it’s been done in secret. “I want to have this body and that argument so that we can move forward.”
North Carolina Board member John Richardson suggested adding a member page to the NRA website. This page allows members to access minutes by NRA bylaws, tax forms, members of each committee, and the board of directors.
This page also streams board meetings live. Richardson said it will be open to members only.
“It’s going to keep our business in ours,” Richardson said.
Membership overwhelmingly approves the proposed website plan, with fewer than 20 of the hundreds of members voting for it.
