LaPierre to step down as National Rifle Association leader By Reuters

By Daniel Trotta and Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -Wayne LaPierre resigned as leader of the National Rifle Association on Friday, ending a long career during which the NRA became one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, only to see its prestige tarnished by corruption allegations and a bankruptcy filing.

LaPierre, 74, who has served as chief executive since 1991, steps down just before a corruption trial brought against the NRA by New York Attorney General Letitia James was set to begin on Monday. He is among four individual defendants in the case, and is expected to testify in the trial before Justice Joel Cohen of the state Supreme Court.

The NRA cited health reasons for his resignation, saying his longtime ally Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA’s head of general operations, would replace him as CEO and executive vice president on an interim basis.

“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,” LaPierre said in a statement.

LaPierre helped build the NRA into a political powerhouse that has led efforts in Washington and in statehouses to expand gun rights under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, successfully fighting off attempts at gun control even as the number of mass shootings mounted across the country.

The trial set for a Manhattan courtroom on Monday apparently will proceed without delay.

“We look forward to presenting our case in court,” James said on X.

“The end of the Wayne LaPierre era at the NRA is an important victory in our case. LaPierre’s resignation validates our claims against him, but it will not insulate him from accountability,” James said

NRA counsel William Brewer also said the NRA was “prepared and ready.”

“The NRA will defend its governance programs and its substantial efforts in support of the freedoms it fights to defend,” Brewer said in a statement.

James sued the NRA in August 2020, saying it diverted millions of dollars to fund luxuries for top officials, including travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts.

Founded in 1871, the NRA has long accused James of targeting it for political purposes, and violating the First Amendment for trying to silence its speech.

Monday’s trial comes at a difficult time for the NRA, whose revenue and membership has fallen even as the U.S. Supreme Court expands gun rights, while concern about crime has prompted many people to seek firearms for protection.

Revenue has slid 44% since 2016, a court filing shows, as membership as slumped in recent years. Once as high as 5.5 million, membership was down to 4.2 million in September 2021, said former NRA board member Phil Journey, who said the board was briefed on membership.

“We were shedding 1,000 members a day, net, at that time. It’s probably less than 4 million now,” said Journey, who was left off the board last year after he cast the lone vote against reappointing LaPierre during the NRA’s annual meeting last year in Houston.

Despite the legal and financial troubles, LaPierre was easily re-elected last year by the 76-member board.

James also accused NRA officials of failing to obtain board approval for conflicts of interest and insider transactions, obtaining no-show contracts for associates, and retaliating against whistleblowers who suspected financial wrongdoing.

The attorney general said the misconduct violated state laws governing nonprofits, which she enforces.

James had previously sought to close the NRA, but Cohen rejected that effort in March 2022.

The NRA had in January 2021 filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas, as part of a strategy to reorganize there and escape James’ probe.

A bankruptcy judge dismissed that case four months later after a 12-day trial, calling some details about the NRA’s operations “cringe-worthy.”