Marion Hammer, longtime National Rifle Association board member and former NRA president once identified in a headline as the “precedent president”—the first woman to ever serve in that position—has reportedly resigned.
In a message to board members, NRA Secretary John Frazer said the resignation was “effective immediately.” The vacancy will be filled by Greer Johnson, who was the next-in-line runner-up in the 2024 board elections earlier this year. Johnson will serve until the adjournment of the 2025 annual meeting of members.
Hammer made history in the late 1990s when she rose through the chairs to become president, serving from 1995 to 1998, succeeded by actor Charlton Heston. She also served as head of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida for many years and was considered a tenacious gun rights lobbyist by lawmakers in Tallahassee. Indeed, she has been recognized as among the most effective lobbyists in the country, and is recognized as a public speaker and author.
TGM attempted to contact Ms. Hammer but did not immediately get a reply, undoubtedly because her home is located in the direct path of Hurricane Helene, which has caused massive damage in northern Florida.
Hammer’s term in office as NRA president was marked by internal turmoil, but among members she was admired for her tenacity and hardcore defense of the right to keep and bear arms.
According to a biography at the NRA website, Hammer has been an NRA member for her entire adult life. She became a lobbyist during the 1970s and “is credited with influencing many of Florida’s gun laws including the 2005 “Stand Your Ground law.” Similar laws have since been passed in several states.
As noted in a Wikipedia biography, Hammer also lobbied for Florida’s “shall issue” concealed carry law, one of the first in the nation, in 1987. This came two years after Washington state—which has had a concealed carry law since the mid-1930s—adopted a “shall issue” law, coincidentally the same year NRA held its annual convention in Seattle.
One of her greatest achievements was creation of NRA’s “Eddie Eagle” gun safety program for children in 1988. She was honored by the National Safety Council with the “Outstanding Community Service” award. She was also inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, and in 2018, Hammer received the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been honored with the NRA-ILA Legislative Achievement Award and was the first woman to receive the Roy Rogers “Man of the Year” award.
Now at age 85, Hammer had served on the NRA Board’s Executive Council for many years.
