NRA CEO Douglas Hamlin Pleaded No Contest In ‘Heinous’ Torture & Killing Of A Cat When He Led A College Fraternity

Douglas Hamlin, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) CEO, was involved in the gruesome torture and killing of a cat when he was a college fraternity member.

The house cat known as BK had been captured, its paws were cut off, and it was then strung up and set on fire. The killing, which occurred in December 1979, was reportedly caused by anger that the cat was not using its litterbox.

Several local media outlets reported on the incident at the time, noting that Hamlin was the fraternity president at the time.

Hamlin, who was elected by the NRA’s board to serve as chief executive officer in July, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty placed against him and four of his fraternity brothers back in 1980 as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. 

The misdemeanor charge was brought under a local ordinance. All five Alpha Delta Phi members were later expelled from the fraternity.

The case inspired an uproar locally, and some students and animal rights activists wore buttons and armbands to commemorate BK.

While Hamlin’s role in the killing is unclear, a report in the Ann Arbor News published in March 1980 stated that district court Judge SJ Elden singled him out for criticism, saying he might have prevented it from happening as the leader of the fraternity.

The judge labeled the cat killing as an “unconscionable and heinous” act and believed the fraternity attempted to engage in a coverup to protect its members after the crime had been exposed.

Press reports state that the charges were eventually expunged from the men’s records after they each finished 200 hours of animal-related community service.

“Heartlessness must be in the job description to run the NRA,” Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “This revelation shows that the NRA has failed to turn the page on its scandal-plagued leaders, and its doom spiral continues with Hamlin at the helm.”

The NRA has been in the news frequently in the last year. Former NRA chief Wayne LaPierre and the NRA went on trial for corruption in a Manhattan courtroom this winter.

Attorney General Letitia James (D-New York) sued LaPierre and the group in August 2020. She found that they transferred millions of dollars to fund luxury perks for top officials, like travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts. These include private jets and trips to the Bahamas for LaPierre.

James accused NRA officials of not obtaining board approval for conflicts of interest and insider transactions, agreeing to no-show contracts for associates and fighting against whistleblowers suspected of financial wrongdoing. 

On February 23, LaPierre was found liable by a jury for corruption. The jury ordered him to repay the NRA $5.4 million.