Gun News

NRA 2.0: Turning the Corner Toward Real Reform ~ VIDEO

There’s a quiet revolution happening inside the National Rifle Association—and for once, it’s a good one. Dick Fairburn, a newly elected Board member, calls it “NRA 2.0,” and after sitting through his first full round of committee meetings, he says the change is real.

For years, the NRA drifted. The scandals surrounding Wayne LaPierre and the old guard drained money, trust, and over a million members. Many gun owners walked away in frustration. But the latest Board elections brought in nearly twenty new reform-minded directors who are now the majority, and they’re pushing hard to make the organization leaner, cleaner, and more responsive to everyday members again.

Cleaning House

Fairburn didn’t sugar-coat what he saw when he arrived. The Board was packed with lawyers, retirees, and insiders who treated meetings like social events instead of serious work. Some literally fell asleep at the table.

Bill Bachenberg Official Photo

That era, he says, is ending. The new NRA president, Bill Bachenberg, is a businessman, not a lawyer, and he’s restructuring the Association to run like a real business—not a political fiefdom. Cost-cutting has already put the 2025 budget in the black, and bloated vendor contracts are being replaced with firms that actually share the NRA’s pro-2A values—at about half the cost.

One notorious Texas law firm that had been billing the NRA millions while being run by an anti-gun liberal is now gone. A new marketing agency specializing in nonprofit outreach has taken its place. Members have long complained about endless junk-mail fundraisers offering “cheap Chinese trinkets.” Leadership says they heard that message loud and clear.

Younger, Smarter, and More Digital

The NRA knows it has to win back younger shooters or risk fading away. That means ditching outdated mailers and going where the next generation actually lives—online.

An official NRA app and coordinated social-media plan are in the works to expand digital outreach, livestream content, and better connect members. Committees are now bringing in subject-matter experts from outside the Board—top competitors, conservation leaders, and firearms trainers—to modernize programs and ensure decisions are based on expertise, not seniority.

Fairburn’s own work on the Education & Training Committee is focused on pulling proven tactics from the law-enforcement world into the civilian training side, helping instructors update courses and keep them relevant to today’s gun owners.

Law Enforcement and the “Best-Kept Secret”

Few know that any active law-enforcement officer can join the NRA for $25 a year and receive a $35,000 line-of-duty death benefit. Since 2000, that program has paid more than $4 million to families of fallen officers.

It’s an example of the NRA’s often-overlooked service side—the one that funds range development, youth shooting programs, and hunter-education grants. That work is largely managed through the NRA Foundation, the separate 501(c)(3) charity that handles educational and training programs while keeping clear of lobbying. (See the sidebar below for a quick explainer.)

Rebuilding Trust, One Step at a Time

For years, critics claimed the NRA had “gone missing” in the courts while groups like GOA, and SAF took the lead. But Fairburn says new transparency inside the Board shows that the NRA never stopped funding major litigation—it was just gagged by its own lawyers from talking about it publicly.

Now, that muzzle is gone. The Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is back in full view, working Capitol Hill and supporting the “Big Beautiful Bill” that dropped NFA taxes on suppressors and short-barreled firearms to zero—a step toward eventually removing those items from the National Firearms Act altogether.

At the same time, the ILA is preparing to make nationwide concealed carry a central talking point for the next election cycle. They know it’s a tough climb in Congress, but the fight itself matters.

What’s Next

Jeff Knox, another reformer now serving on the Board, calls this election cycle “the best in decades.” For the first time, the court-mandated rules require that at least twenty of the candidates be new faces, not recycled incumbents. The petition process is open online, making it easier for grassroots members to support outsiders.

Knox warns of one leftover threat: a handful of LaPierre loyalists have moved over to the NRA Foundation Board, possibly trying to keep control of the purse strings. (more to come on that) It’s something members need to watch closely. But overall, both Fairburn and Knox agree—the trend line is finally heading up.

Bottom Line

The NRA isn’t perfect and never will be, but for the first time in years, it’s showing signs of life. Reformers hold the majority. Leadership is business-minded, not lawyer-driven. Financials are turning around. And younger members are back in the conversation.

If you left during the LaPierre era, nobody blames you. But it might be time to give the NRA another look. Change is happening from the inside, and NRA 2.0 needs the same thing it had when it was founded in 1871—ordinary Americans willing to stand up, train up, and show up for their rights.

What the NRA Foundation Does

The NRA Foundation is the NRA’s charitable arm, created in 1990. It’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds education, marksmanship, and gun-safety programs—not political lobbying.

It supports Eddie Eagle, Women on Target, Refuse to Be a Victim, and grants for youth shooting teams, ranges, and law-enforcement training.
Because it’s a charity, donations are tax-deductible, but the Foundation must stay financially independent from the NRA’s political operations.
After a 2020 lawsuit from the D.C. Attorney General accused the NRA of dipping into Foundation funds, a 2024 settlement forced tighter oversight, annual director training, and new conflict-of-interest rules.
Today the Foundation remains vital to funding America’s firearm-education pipeline—one range, one youth team, and one new shooter at a time.