Media Contact: Georgia Seltzer, (202) 822-8200 x104, gseltzer@vpc.org

Campaign Research Notes – May 29, 2025

It’s all about marketing at the largest public show of new guns in the U.S. ─ the Annual Meeting of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

As part of its ongoing research on the gun lobby and firearms industry, VPC staff have attended the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits each year since the 1980s. The event features the largest show of new guns open to the public.

This year’s exhibition was held last month in Atlanta. At the meeting, VPC staff collected industry information and attended the Annual Meeting of Members which was dominated by discussion of past alleged corruption by former Executive Vice President Wayne Lapierre and calls for greater transparency in the NRA’s business and financial activities. And in its own way, the speech by NRA Executive Vice President & CEO Doug Hamlin at the members meeting was quite transparent. During his address, he admitted the NRA needed to work to regain trust ─ and then listed the firearms industry first before NRA members or gun owners.

The NRA and gun industry use the show in their ongoing marketing efforts targeting women, children, and communities of color ─ while working to resell the traditional market of white males with increasingly militarized firearms, such as assault weapons.

Photos showcasing these marketing efforts, taken by VPC staff, can be seen below.

Learn more about gun industry marketing to children.

Learn more about the increasing militarization of the gun industry’s product line.

Learn more about marketing to women and communities of color.

The Campaign for Gun Industry Accountability is an ongoing project of the Violence Policy Center.