CCRKBA Welcomes Ryan Petty to Board of Directors

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has added advocate/activist Ryan Petty to its Board of Directors. At the September 26 meeting, Petty was unanimously elected.

During the 2025 Gun Rights Policy Conference, co-hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the organizations held their board meetings. Ryan Petty was nominated and duly elected to fill one of two vacant positions on the CCRKBA board.

“Mr. Petty, who lost his daughter, Alaina, in the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has become widely known for his school safety activism,” a release states. “He is the newly-elected chairman of the Florida State Board of Education, co-founder of the WalkUp Foundation, which focuses on programs that involve students, while also improving school safety by way of early identification and threat assessment.”

Petty, a long-time friend and contributor to Bearing Arms, offers insightful editorial on the right to keep and bear arms. Petty’s views on the issues continue to positively evolve the more he digs into the topic — his work is also showcased at his homepage RyanPetty.com

Fellow CCRKBA director and Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards celebrated the nomination and election of Petty, a move Edwards was “pleased and proud” to participate in. Petty has been a guest on Edwards’ show, Bearing Arms’ Cam and Co. several times to discuss current events.

“I’ve known Ryan for several years, and I’m constantly impressed by his knowledge of issues,” Edwards said in a statement. “His dedication to improving school safety while also safeguarding our Second Amendment rights is second to none, and I was pleased and proud to vote in favor of him joining CCRKBA’s board of directors. I look forward to working with Ryan, and the other outstanding board members, going forward.”

Another long-time friend of Petty’s and CCRKBA director, Talkers Heavy 100 radio personality Mark Walters, discussed tapping Petty to fill the vacant position. Petty is a frequent flyer — 38 appearances in 2025 alone and over 111 in total — on Walters’ Armed American Radio show, constantly sharing his analytical views with Walters’ listeners.

“It was an honor and a ‘no brainer’ to nominate Ryan Petty to the CCRKBA Board of Directors,” Walters told Bearing Arms. “Since the Parkland tragedy, many of the victims’ families have joined forces with the March for Our Lives gun grabbers and other anti-rights groups in their ongoing effort to erode and eventually take away, our right to bear arms.

“Ryan, on the other hand, has been a tireless and fearless fighter for liberty. Not only standing up for the defense of our Second Amendment but for the restoration of those rights where the other side has found some success. He is a true hero and freedom fighter and a welcome addition to this Board!”

On the first day of the Gun Rights Policy Conference, Petty addressed the attendees. His presentation, “What it Takes to Protect America’s Schools,” was described by CCRKBA as a “blockbuster.” Petty’s intimate knowledge about the statistics surrounding school shootings was relied on and he imparted that to conference participants. Ryan’s presentation can be viewed HERE.

“We’re delighted that Ryan has been elected to fill a vacancy on our Board of Directors,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “His background in business and his activism will definitely be crucial in our efforts to carry out our mission of protecting the Second Amendment and supporting genuine public safety programs.

“Ryan has a keen understanding of the communication industry,” Gottlieb continued, “and he brings all of that, plus his personal experience with tragedy, to his position on the CCRKBA Board. He demonstrated his ability to communicate with a large audience during his report on school safety at our recent Gun Rights Policy Conference. I believe he is uniquely qualified to help guide the Committee in the months and years ahead.”

On a personal note, I’ve known Ryan for a number of years through my work here at Bearing Arms. We did get to finally meet in person in 2023 at SHOT Show® — we were sitting in on then-ATF Director Dettelbach’s presentation on the agency. Ryan is an incredibly intelligent and down-to-Earth person. To parrot my colleagues — Cam, Mark, and Mr. Gottlieb — Ryan is going to be a fantastic talent further strengthening an already solid board of directors.

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