Why It Matters

The National Association for Gun Rights first quarter 2026 disclosure breaks a consistent pattern. In each of the four preceding quarters, NAGR listed specific issue areas (firearms, background checks, registration requirements, the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968) and referenced specific legislation. This filing lists none of these.

The organization maintained its in-house lobbying team and spending levels consistent with recent quarters, but the blank issues field makes it impossible to determine what legislative priorities NAGR was pursuing during the first three months of 2026.

By the Numbers

NAGR operates entirely through in-house lobbying, filing on its own behalf with no external firms retained. The Q1 2026 filing reported $289,886 in expenditures, a rebound from the Q4 2025 figure of $136,298, which was the lowest quarter in the trailing year.

Over the five-quarter period from first quarter 2025 through first quarter 2026, NAGR reported approximately $1.23 million in total lobbying expenditures:

The current lobbying team consists of three in-house lobbyists: Dudley Brown, Angelo Veltri, and Dustin Curtis. Brown and Veltri have appeared on all five filings in the trailing year. Curtis joined in Q2 2025 and has remained on the team since. A fourth lobbyist, Cyril Whitmore, appeared only in the Q1 2025 filing. No external lobbying firms are retained.

The Agenda

The filing lists no specific issues lobbied and no legislation, a departure from the four preceding quarters.

In prior filings, NAGR consistently described its lobbying focus as covering firearms, ammunition, and accessories; the right to possess, purchase, own, and carry; background checks; mental health and NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System); registration requirements and databases; federal gun-free zones; the National Firearms Act of 1934; the Gun Control Act of 1968; and related executive actions and appropriations.

Each prior quarter referenced specific legislation:

None of those bills appear in the current filing.

Broader Context

Congressional member communications and legislative developments during the the first quarter of 2026 reveal active gun rights advocacy across multiple fronts.

Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) noted in February 2025 that the Department of Justice settled a lawsuit with NAGR challenging an ATF rule banning forced reset triggers. These are devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at a faster rate. The settlement permitted their sale.

Rep. Wesley Hunt's March 2025 press release directly quoted NAGR President Dudley Brown (one of the three registered lobbyists in this filing) in endorsing the Second Amendment Restoration Act, which would roll back provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Brown called that latter law "a backdoor assault on our God-given Second Amendment rights."

Rep. Paul Gosar's April 2026 press release listed NAGR as a supporting organization for the Gun-owner Registration Information Protection (GRIP) Act, which would prohibit federal funds from being used to maintain state firearm owner registries. A companion Senate bill was introduced the same day.

A significant legislative development occurred in mid-2025 when Congress passed and President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which eliminated the $200 National Firearms Act tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms, effective January 1, 2026. Some congressional member communications from March and April 2026 celebrated the implementation of this tax elimination, and one April 2026 post referenced working "alongside @GunRightsPrez Dudley Brown to protect Americans' Second Amendment rights."

Competitive Landscape

NAGR's legislative priorities align with those of other major gun rights organizations. The GRIP Act press release listed supporting organizations including Gun Owners of America (GOA), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Similarly, the Second Amendment Restoration Act was endorsed by GOA, NAGR, the Texas Gun Rights Association, the Texas State Rifle Association, and the NRA, indicating coordination among gun rights groups on core legislative priorities.

The Bottom Line

NAGR filed its lobbying disclosure](https://app.legis1.com/lda-filings/detail?id=2087785#summary) with $289,886 in reported spending, which was a recovery from a quieter fourth quarter. But it provided no details on what it was advocating for. The organization's team remained consistent, and its spending was in line with recent quarters. Member communications confirm it remained active in gun rights debates on Capitol Hill. But what exactly NAGR was lobbying for during the first three months of 2026, based on this filing alone, remains unclear.