As they say, the 2026 Annual Members’ Meeting in Houston is a wrap. More than 73,000 freedom-loving Second Amendment supporters—the highest number since the COVID pandemic—joined us for three days of celebrating freedom.
If you didn’t attend, you missed the crown jewel—the exhibit hall! Not just another gun show, the exhibit hall featured more than 540 exhibitors over 14 acres of exhibit space, showcasing the latest in guns, gear and gadgets. Building on last year’s Annual Meeting, Voices of the Second Amendment included 34 social-media providers live from the exhibit floor to more than 30 million followers.
This year, the officers shook up the traditional format of Saturday’s Members Meeting. There was no hidden agenda, no silencing members, no set adjournment time to stifle members’ voices. We also projected members’ submitted resolutions on a large screen for all to read. Another first: We asked for input from the members attending the meeting on two major bylaw amendments being considered at Monday’s Board meeting.
One of the bylaw amendments was to reformulate the existing Executive Committee from 20 members elected by popularity to nine members selected for experience and skills. The member input was well received, and at the board meeting on Monday, the size of the Executive Committee was increased from the proposed nine to 11, as voiced at the members’ meeting. Not only are we listening to our members, but we are also implementing your suggestions. A summary is below:
“Article VI – Executive Committee
Section 1. Composition.
There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of eleven individual voting members, including the President, the First and Second Vice Presidents, and eight additional members as herein provided, all of whom shall be directors.
The following directors shall serve as voting members of the Executive Committee ex officio, by virtue of their offices or committee positions, for so long as they hold such positions and are 1) not elected as an officer of the Association and 2) until their successors are appointed and qualified:
• The Finance Committee Chair
• The Audit Committee Chair
• The Legal Affairs Committee Chair
• The Membership Committee Chair
Due to column space, the balance of Section 1, “Section 2. Powers and Duties” and “Section 3. Meetings and Reporting” could not be listed, but the full Executive Committee Bylaw amendment and all Bylaw Amendments passed by the Board on Monday can be found on the President’s website.
“Section 4. Qualifications of Advisory Members.
Advisory members appointed pursuant to Section 1(d) should possess one or more of the following qualifications:
• Expertise in nonprofit governance, corporate law, or organizational management;
• Professional experience in finance, audit, compliance, or risk management;
• Senior leadership experience in large membership organizations;
• Subject matter expertise relevant to the Association’s mission and strategic priorities … ”
A second bylaw amendment was also presented, accompanied by an explanation from the Board’s Legal Affairs Committee. On Monday, the Board approved a new “Section 14” that was added to “Article III—Membership” to help protect the Association from expensive lawsuits.
“To the extent any member of the Association, former member of the Association, donor to the Association or director, officer, employee or trustee of the Association has standing to bring a claim against the Association, such person seeking adjudication of any claim or cause of action against the Association for any reason, including but not limited to, any claim or cause of action related to member discipline, member suspension, member expulsion, the payment of dues or donations or any other claim or cause of action at law or equity agrees to bring that action exclusively through binding arbitration in any county that is part of the United States District Court for the geography where the Association has its physical headquarters at the time such claim is filed. Any such claim shall be brought before a single arbitrator according to the rules of the American Arbitration Association or, at the sole discretion of the Association, alternatively before an arbitrator at JAMS. Any such member, former member, donor or director, officer, employee or trustee agrees to proceed exclusively on an individual basis unless the Association, in its sole discretion, agrees to handle similar claims on a class or other collective basis.”
I don’t have enough space to cover all the great events at the Annual Meeting. You need to come and experience it firsthand. Please mark your calendar for April 23-25, 2027, in Atlanta.
We are looking for a few dedicated board members.
Do you have time to volunteer and commit to 15-plus hours a month to help grow the NRA? A skills-gap analysis has identified the following opportunities to expand the board’s expertise—Technology, Membership, Publications, Hunting, Social Media, Women & Youth Programs, Industry and Training Programs. If you possess any of these skills, please consider running for the NRA Board of Directors.
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