Former National Rifle Association President Marion P. Hammer has filed a federal lawsuit against the organization she once led, alleging breach of contract and “fraudulent misrepresentation, conversion and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice Act.”
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division. Hammer is represented by attorney Richard E. Coates whose law firm is in Tallahassee.
The 21-page lawsuit asserts that Hammer, “after giving the fruits of her life’s labor to the NRA, she has been abandoned by the very association she so fearlessly defended.”
At issue, according to the lawsuit, Hammer and the NRA executed a one-year contract to have begun Jan. 1, 2018 under which Hammer would work as a consultant to the organization for $168,000, which would be paid in quarterly installments in January, April, July and October. The NRA had sole discretion to renew the agreement before the expiration date, according to the agreement, which was to remain confidential. It is “Exhibit A” in the lawsuit.
In 2018, the lawsuit says, a new proposal was offered which would extend Hammer’s consulting contract for ten years, allowing her to “continue consulting on important Second Amendment issues nationally, putting her in a position to ultimately retire from the national scene.”
TGM reached out to the NRA for comment, but there was no immediate response.
The lawsuit also alleges that, despite providing “years of valuable service to the NRA, she was never included in the NRA’s retirement plan.”
In June 2022, the NRA announced Hammer’s retirement as an NRA lobbyist, ending her 44-year connection with the organization. A press release at the time said she would “continue to serve as an advisor to the NRA, assisting with Second Amendment advocacy in the Sunshine State and beyond.”
While the story about her retirement remains available online at Florida Politics, the announcement of her retirement was not to be found on the NRA website when TGM checked.
During her four-plus decades of association with NRA, Hammer served on the NRA Board of Directors, working her way up through the chairs to become the organization’s first female president in 1995. She was succeeded by the late actor Charlton Heston. She was re-elected to the board and was also a member of the Executive Council. Sources in Florida credit Hammer with successfully lobbying for concealed carry in that state, and for influencing other gun rights legislation.
Hammer also was head of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, and she also developed the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, beginning in 1988. This was a project designed for children, telling them that if they find a gun, they should “Stop, Don’t Touch, Run Away and Tell an Adult.”
According to a 2024 report at the Florida Bulldog, Hammer suddenly found herself “dumped” by NRA, reportedly after being contacted by Interim Executive Vice President Andrew Arulanandam, advising her that the “retirement contract” had been terminated.
The lawsuit also contends the NRA continued to use her name, image and likeness in its fund-raising efforts and to recruit more women members. It also alleges NRA “also solicited contributions” from Hammer “under false pretenses.” Checks she allegedly wrote to NRA in March 2023 as donations to the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum apparently did not all get to where they were supposed to go.
This report also appeared in TheGunMag.com.
