The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action is the political, litigation, and lobbying arm of the organization. Managing Director Dan Reid discussed with Bearing Arms some of NRA-ILA’s efforts.
While attending the 2026 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, Reid stopped by to discuss NRA-ILA’s current battles. This interview was made possible by Beretta Holding, the sponsor of the Voices of the Second Amendment at the NRAAM.
Reid serves as NRA-ILA’s managing director of state and local affairs. A long-time employee of the Association's, Reid said his journey started when he was in law school. Reid explained he interned with NRA-ILA after cold calling them and eventually returned to the group after practicing law for a couple of years. Reid said that this “latest stint” had him at NRA-ILA for the last 14 years. He talked about state-level lobbying, NRA’s presence, and, naturally, the importance of gun owner involvement during the conversation.
One of the things that caught Reid’s attention was the lack of Second Amendment coverage in law school. He explained that this was prior to the Heller decision and they spent “about three minutes talking about the Second Amendment.” This was in contrast to the many weeks dedicated to the First and Fourth Amendments.
“I was getting into the shooting sports and into hunting,” Reid said. “And I went, ‘Wait a minute, what am I going to do with my life?’” That’s when he learned about the lobbying side of the NRA-ILA. Originally, he was thinking about litigation.
For those who are not fully aware of what NRA-ILA even does, Reid explained that it’s the “political arm” of the Association. “ILA is responsible for all the policy, litigation, as well as we're involved in the political space,” he said.
When people think of the NRA on a local level, they’re likely thinking of them in one of several different silos. There’s the training element, which independent trainers might be NRA-certified. There are clubs and associations associated with the NRA. But for employees? Everyday gun owners are more than likely to encounter an NRA employee that’s either involved in a local/state-level Friends of NRA program or event or a state director. It’s those state directors who Reid is responsible for.
“Our directors are regionally based,” Reid said. “Generally their states are contiguous, and that allows us to have coverage of the whole country.” These are essentially the lobbyists that grassroots activists might be familiar with. If the NRA is testifying at some state-level hearing or engaging with politicians, they’re likely one of the many state directors from NRA-ILA.
These state directors might be the only NRA connection and presence that people feel in their locations. They’re pretty much the hired boots on the ground for the Association.
Right now there are multiple different battle fronts as Reid sees it. “We're continuing to play offense in the states that we can,” he noted. “And we're playing a lot of defense in blue states right now.”
At the time of the interview — April 17, 2026 — Virginia was just wrapping up the passage of its “assault weapons” ban. There were radical changes in the Commonwealth in 2025, Reid said. “Governor Spanberger just sent back multiple bills with some very minor amendments, and she's playing politics here,” he explained. “She campaigned as a moderate, and the session's been anything but moderate. We've seen this radical anti-gun agenda go through.”
Other places that NRA-ILA has been unusually busy include New Mexico. Reid noted that they just came off a successful session there. One of the pushes in The Land of Enchantment has been a semi-auto ban. Legislation supporting that has been successfully held off for several sessions.
Other progressive strongholds have continued to receive attention. States like Colorado and Rhode Island have been putting forward a fair amount of anti-Second Amendment legislation. All places where NRA-ILA will continue to have to focus.
The semi-auto bans that Reid talked about are a new breed. He says that “they try and make it as scary as possible” when describing the firearms. “They've gone from ‘assault weapons’ with a floating definition to now this gas-operated semi-automatic,” he said. “We've seen a new theme of this ‘convertible pistols’ language, where they're going after very common semi-automatic handguns.”
One of the other tactics that Reid said he’s seeing deployed is to cut off consumer access by making firearm-related commerce too expensive or risky to operate. Things like “responsible conduct” laws and other barriers are being created to make room for more litigation against firearm-related companies. New Jersey’s public nuisance law is a prime example — one that JDS Supply’s Jordan Vinroe has had to deal with more than once.
It’s not all doom and gloom on the state level. The permitless carry movement is one that Reid said he got to witness firsthand. Right now, there are 29 states that do not require firearm carriers to first obtain a license or permit to carry a gun. Sometimes referred to as constitutional or Vermont carry, the permitless carry movement exploded over the past decade.
“Obviously, elections matter, right? Elections have consequences,” Reid said when discussing permitless carry. “We've been targeting North Carolina, and obviously there's been a change there in the governor's office, but we're continuing to push forward. We're continuing to work on North Carolina and identify other targets.”
What’s Reid’s final message to gun owners, NRA members, and Americans in general? “Get involved,” he said. “Join NRA. We're out in all 50 states. We're actively involved in the conversation in these state capitals. We're identifying ways to shore up the Second Amendment, to push the Second Amendment forward, and defend against (attacks to) the Second Amendment.
“The reason what makes NRA powerful and the gun rights movement is people being involved, voting in elections, and just contacting their legislators. It's because of the gun owners.”
If you’re interested in watching the entire interview with NRA-ILA’s Dan Reid, you can check that out HERE or in the embed below.
Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.
Help us continue to report on their efforts and legislative successes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member