Longtime National Rifle Organization Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre announced on Friday that he will retire at the end of the month.
The renowned Second Amendment advocate will retire amid a lawsuit in New York brought forth by Attorney General Letitia James that initially attempted to force a court to dissolve the gun rights group, The Hill reported.
That original suit failed in 2022 when a court ruled James could not prove the gun lobbying group violated business laws, but James has nonetheless sought to punish the NRA.
LaPierre, who has been in his current role with the NRA for more than three decades, announced his retirement in a statement shared by the group.
He will exit his current position at the end of the month.
NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre Announces Resignation from NRA
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) announced today that Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre announced he is stepping down from his position as chief executive of the organization, effective January 31.… pic.twitter.com/GbGBWktu7C
— NRA (@NRA) January 5, 2024
“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” LaPierre said.
He continued, “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.”
Do you support the Second Amendment?
Yes: 100% (5 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
According to the NRA, LaPierre, 74, cited his health as the reason he is stepping down.
Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA’s Head of General Operations Andrew Arulanandam, will lead the group on an interim basis.
The NRA was headquartered in New York for more than a century but recently relocated to north Texas, WFAA-TV reported.
The strategic move came amid a bankruptcy filing and as the NRA fought off James’ attempts to dissolve the group.
James has accused the NRA of violating her state’s business laws and top executives of funneling the group’s funds into their own bank accounts – charges that NRA leadership has denied.
The NRA mentioned James’ failed attempt to dissolve it in the news release announcing LaPirre’s imminent retirement.
The NRA said: “In March 2022, the NRA scored a major legal victory, when a New York court dismissed the NYAG’s claims to dissolve the organization. The court issued an opinion that vindicates the NRA’s position: the NYAG’s effort to shut down the Association ran afoul of common sense, New York law, and the First Amendment.”
James brought a similar civil suit against former President Donald Trump’s New York-based company last year.
The New York attorney general, then a candidate for her office, vowed to shut down the NRA if she was elected in 2018, The New York Daily News reported.
She vowed to investigate the group for its “legitimacy.”
James similarly vowed to pursue Trump while on the campaign trail.
