Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA head
National Rifle Association (NRA) head Wayne LaPierre will resign from the organization at the end of the month, the group announced Friday.
LaPierre’s resignation, first reported by Fox News, comes as the organization defends itself in a New York civil suit alleging that he and other executives spent millions of the group’s funds on luxury vacations and other perks.
“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” LaPierre said in a statement. “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. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”
The 74-year-old cited health concerns for his resignation, which will take effect Jan. 31.
LaPierre has helmed the NRA for more than three decades, leading it through triumph as it gained political clout, controversy after innumerable mass shootings and downfall as the group has run into financial trouble.
He first joined the group as an employee in 1977.
"I am proud of the NRA’s advocacy in New York and, through it all, determination to defend the Second Amendment. I can assure you the NRA’s mission, programming, and fight for freedom have never been more secure," he said.
LaPierre’s exit adds to legal and financial difficulties for the organization.
The group’s fundraising and membership has fallen steeply in recent years, losing about a half million members from 2021 to 2022, according to gun violence nonprofit the Trace.
The organization raised just $213 million in 2022, about half of its 2016 total, according to the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The New York suit, brought by state Attorney General Letitia James (D), alleges that LaPierre and other senior leaders diverted millions of dollars away from the group’s charitable mission and towards luxury personal benefits.
Following an 18-month investigation, James said the NRA fostered “a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight,” costing the group $64 million over three years.
The NRA and LaPierre have denied wrongdoing. The case is set to go to trial starting Monday.