In this interview with The Armed Citizen Podcast at the 155th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Texas, NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin talks about what is going on with the NRA, the many battles for our freedom around this nation the NRA is involved in, and what’s to come.
When asked about anti-Second Amendment legislation in Virginia, Hamlin said, “We will be litigating.” He later noted that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice also said it will file suit if the state goes forward with unconstitutional legislation.
In this interview Hamlin also talks about the importance of a strong and growing NRA when it comes to fighting to keep and, where necessary, win back our Second Amendment-protected freedom—something that would not be possible without the millions of members of this association.
But he does not just discuss legislation and litigation.
Just before this interview, he had been at the NRA Annual Meeting of Members, an event that always includes a celebration of the youngest and the oldest member in attendance. With this in mind, Hamlin said, “I’m smiling because [the youngest] was a 20-month-old baby girl and her two siblings, both older brothers, have been to previous NRA Annual Meetings and been the youngest. So, now the family has three youngest plaques. And then we had an 85-year-old U.S. Army retiree veteran that was our oldest member. And the thinking is, hey, the future is what we’re all interested in. The NRA has to get younger. So many first-time gun buyers are out there and we need to recruit those folks into the fold. But let’s not forget who got us here. I mean, this is our 155th annual meeting. I’ll say it again, 155 years. Not many organizations have that kind of pedigree. And it's those veterans who are 85 and those that went before him that made the NRA what we are today.”
Hamlin also discusses efforts to win back we the peoples’ freedom in California and other states and later outlines the new NRA App, which is now available in the Apple App Store and for Android users. The NRA App is a free mobile app designed as a one-stop hub for members. It gives Second Amendment news with real-time updates and breaking stories from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action; digital access to American Rifleman and American Hunter; a “Member Benefits” section with exclusive discounts on guns, gear, travel and more; an interactive map to locate nearby NRA events, training courses, Friends of NRA gatherings, competitions, and local deals and a lot more.
