NRA launches 13-state bus tour ahead of midterm elections

(The Center Square) – The National Rifle Association launched its first national bus tour Thursday as the group tries to get gun owners to vote in the 2026 midterm elections.

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action plans to make 63 stops in 13 states before the tour ends on Election Day, Nov. 3.

The group calls it the 2026 NRA’s Gun Bus Battleground Tour.

The bus left the NRA’s headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday. Its first public stop will take place Sept. 3 in Dillon, Montana.

The NRA said it wants gun owners to support candidates who back Second Amendment rights.

“Gun owners don’t need another polished ad interrupting their favorite show,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford said in a statement. “They need real conversations about what’s at stake for the Second Amendment.”

The bus will travel through Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Stops will include gun stores, gun makers, college football tailgates and community events. NRA staff and volunteers will talk to voters and give out NRA items. Candidates for local, state and federal office will also appear at some stops.

The first stop will take place during Montana’s Biggest Weekend. The annual Labor Day event includes the Beaverhead County Fair and Dillon Jaycees PRCA Pro Rodeo.

The tour comes as Republicans try to keep control of Congress.

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Republicans hold 218 seats in the U.S. House. Democrats hold 212 seats, an independent holds one seat, and four seats are vacant.

The Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

Many states on the bus route have races that could help decide control of Congress.Ballotpedia lists Senate races in Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas as tossups or near tossups.

The NRA said it wants to keep what it calls pro-gun majorities in Congress and state legislatures.

“Across the country, the NRA is working tirelessly to advance and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens,” NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin said in a statement.

Hamlin warned that the group could lose recent gains if its allies lose control of Congress or state governments.

“If we lose pro-gun majorities in Congress and the statehouses, the incredible gains we have made can be wiped out by the stroke of a pen,” Hamlin said. “That is why it is more critical than ever for gun owners to get activated and vote to protect their sacred, God-given rights.”

The bus tour comes as the NRA tries to rebuild after years of legal and financial problems. 

Commerford said the tour will help the NRA build support through direct talks with voters.

“This is how we build lasting political power: one conversation, one neighborhood, one vote at a time,” he said.