The National Rifle Association (NRA) has sued its nonprofit arm, the NRA Foundation, alleging that it’s being used by disgruntled former NRA board members attempting to take control of the NRA.
The foundation was formed in 1990 to fund the gun rights organization’s educational and charitable work.
According to the lawsuit filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia on Jan. 5, “the Foundation has been seized by a disgruntled faction of former NRA directors who lost control of the NRA’s Board.”
The foundation had become “adversarial” in its relationship with the NRA, according to a statement announcing the lawsuit.
“This is a disappointing day, and it should not have come to this,” Doug Hamlin, NRA CEO and executive vice president of the NRA, wrote in the statement. “This action represents a last resort.”
The lawsuit accuses foundation leadership of trademark infringement, unfair competition, trademark dilution, and unauthorized diversion of charitable assets, among other charges. The NRA suit alleges that foundation board members are trying to wrest control from the NRA’s new leadership through the foundation.
The NRA accuses the foundation board of using the money for its own benefit.
“The Foundation willfully disregards the NRA’s valuable trademark rights in an attempt to profit from the NRA’s reputation and goodwill,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, former NRA board members, referred to as “The Old Guard,” on the foundation’s board have attempted to amend the foundation’s bylaws to sever connections with the NRA and give those former members more control of foundation funds.
The lawsuit alleges that the former members have hired a “disgruntled former NRA employee” as its executive director. The lawsuit does not name the executive director. However, it alleges that the executive director has been clear about his aims.
“The Foundation’s executive director has stated that the Foundation intends to cut off or substantially reduce its financial support of the NRA, to sue the NRA, to take control of certain NRA programs, and to undermine the NRA’s finances and financial stability,” the lawsuit states.
The NRA is asking the court to order the foundation board to stop its alleged trademark infringement, to pay damages as appropriate, and to appoint a temporary receiver or monitor to ensure foundation proceeds are used in accordance with donor intent.
The NRA established the NRA Foundation in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) organization so individuals and corporations could make tax-deductible contributions to support “educational, and scientific activities connected with the lawful ownership and use of firearms.”
This includes the “Eddie Eagle GunSafe” program to teach children gun safety and how to respond in situations such as finding an unattended gun.
The foundation did not respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Rebuild of NRA
The NRA has been rebuilding since it settled a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020. At the group’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Hamlin vowed to turn the NRA’s ship around.“We’re making the changes we need to make the NRA stronger right where we are,” Hamlin told the gathering in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta in April 2025.
The settlement listed more than a dozen reforms for the gun rights organization and ordered two former NRA officials—including the longtime public face of and former CEO of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre—to pay more than $6 million to the NRA.
LaPierre was accused of using NRA funds to pay for luxury vacations, private jet travel, and extravagant gifts for friends and vendors. He resigned in January 2024.
Wilson Phillips, former chief financial officer, was ordered to pay $2 million. In court, he admitted to receiving thousands of dollars in improper travel reimbursement. He was also found to have disregarded his duty to address LaPierre’s spending.
The court also ordered the NRA to hire a chief compliance officer and a consultant to work with that officer as the organization was rebuilt.
