Charles L. Cotton (born November 28, 1949) is an American attorney and gun rights advocate who served as president of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) from 2021 to 2024.

In 2016, he was reportedly criticized by open carry activists, who accused him of being insufficiently supportive of gun rights.

[8] On a forum post, Cotton apparently lamented the loss of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War, lamenting that it was “too bad we lost the civil war.” Cotton later posted that his view stemmed “purely from a states’ rights viewpoint and in light of the exponential growth of federal power after the war.”[9]

On a forum post, Cotton criticized efforts to enact gun control measures in the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, arguing that advocates were unfairly using “the sympathy factor of kids getting killed.” In a post, Cotton stated:[6]“Wake up people and see what’s happening!!!!

It’s a campaign of lies and distortion, but it’s very well funded and they are playing on the sympathy factor of kids getting killed.”He currently resides in Friendswood, Texas with his wife Martha.