Todd J. Rathner

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Todd J. Rathner is an American gun-rights lobbyist and advocate for Second Amendment causes. He was born on November 6, 1965, in Queens, New York, and grew up in New York. He now lives in Tucson, Arizona, and runs Rathner and Associates. Rathner served on the National Rifle Association (NRA) Board of Directors from 1999 until his resignation in February 2022. He has also worked as the Director of Legislative Affairs for Knife Rights.

Rathner is the founder of the NFA Freedom Alliance (NFAFA), established in 2014 to protect the interests of NFA gun owners, dealers, and manufacturers. The group promotes “Shall Certify” legislation across the United States to counter ATF rules.

Key contributions and activities
- Arizona Constitutional Carry: In 2010, Rathner played a major role in passing Arizona’s Constitutional Carry law, which allows many people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
- Knife and gun-rights activism: He has pushed for changes to knife laws and broader gun-rights protections, including high-profile efforts following the Freddie Gray case.
- New York gravity knives: In 2016, he helped New York pass revisions to its gravity knife ban (S6483-A/A9042-A).
- Texas blade laws: In 2017, he helped Texas pass a law (HB 1935) permitting the open carry of blades longer than 5.5 inches; the law was signed by Governor Greg Abbott and took effect on September 1, 2017.

Awards and other work
- Conservationist of the Year (2002) from the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.
- He is also the owner of the T. Jeffrey Safari Company.

Rathner continues to be a prominent, if controversial, figure in gun- and knife-rights advocacy.