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NRA to get new president

Posted at 8:16 PM, May 01, 2013
and last updated 2013-05-01 20:16:41-04
By CNN Political Unit

 (CNN) — The National Rifle Association is getting a new president, the organization confirmed Wednesday.

As part of its formal rotation, Alabama attorney Jim Porter will take the top spot beginning Monday, replacing current President David Keene, whose two-year term concludes this week at the NRA’s annual meeting in Houston.

The Washington Times first reported the story.

While Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is widely known as the face of the NRA, Keene had an active role in publicity and media appearances, especially in the wake of the Newtown elementary school massacre that left 26 people dead.

Porter has been serving as the NRA’s first vice president, and before that he served as the group’s second vice president. The presidency, an unpaid position, is the next stop in the NRA’s leadership rotation.

The NRA is in Porter’s blood, as his father, Irvine Porter, served as president from 1959-1960.

Porter takes on the new high-profile role as the NRA has revamped efforts to combat gun control efforts on Capitol Hill. While gun control opponents claimed victory after the Senate rejected certain proposals from moving forward last month, President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have vowed to continue pushing for tougher gun laws.

CNN’s Jim Acosta and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

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