A Pioneer in the Firearms Industry: Anthony Imperato Honored by NRA

HOUSTON, April 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthony Imperato, Founder and CEO of Henry Repeating Arms, received the NRA Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award on Friday, April 17, at the 2026 National Rifle Association Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Texas. Presented by Editor-in-Chief Mark Keefe and NRA Executive Vice President & CEO Doug Hamlin, the award is one of the organization's highest recognitions for enduring impact on the firearms industry and America's shooting sports traditions.

For Anthony Imperato, the honor represents a lifetime spent believing in something bigger: that American firearms manufacturing still mattered, that heritage still had value, that customers deserve personal service, and that a company could lead with principle in an industry too often forced to withstand political hostility, media pressure, and economic uncertainty.

Imperato's journey in the firearms business spans more than four decades and nearly every corner of the industry. He has worked behind the retail counter, in wholesale distribution, in import-export, in surplus firearms, in law enforcement sales, and in manufacturing. That breadth of experience gave him something few industry leaders can claim: a deeply rooted understanding of not just how guns are made, sold, and marketed, but of the people who buy them, depend on them, collect them, and pass them down.

When much of American manufacturing was chasing lower costs overseas, and many firearms brands were following suit, Imperato took the opposite path. He committed himself to building a company rooted in American workers, American materials, and American craftsmanship, simply because he believed it was right. Under his leadership, Henry Repeating Arms proved that domestic manufacturing could still be profitable, scalable, and fiercely competitive. In doing so, he did more than build a successful company. He helped restore pride in American gunmaking at a time when that confidence was fading.

He also accomplished something few would have predicted possible in the modern era: he brought America's lever-action rifle roaring back to relevance.

Before Henry Repeating Arms emerged as a dominant force, lever actions were often viewed as relics of the past, admired for their nostalgia but too often overlooked in the present. Imperato saw something more. He understood that the lever-action rifle was not obsolete. It was an unfinished story. Through his vision, Henry reintroduced the platform to a new generation of hunters, sport shooters, collectors, and families, preserving its soul while restoring its place in the marketplace. What others saw as old-fashioned, Imperato saw as timeless. In doing so, he not only revived a category but also redefined it.

Just as importantly, he built Henry Repeating Arms to stand for more than the firearms it produces. Throughout his tenure, Imperato has emphasized a responsibility inherent in building, selling, or owning firearms. He championed firearms safety, supported conservation, invested in youth shooting sports, and reinforced the idea that the Second Amendment is best protected not only by political advocacy, but by citizenship, stewardship, and example.

That same philosophy shaped Henry's Guns For Great Causes program, which has donated several million dollars to children's hospitals, families of sick children, veterans, first responders, law enforcement organizations, wildlife conservation initiatives, youth shooting sports, firearm safety education efforts, and Second Amendment causes. Through that lens, Imperato demonstrated that a firearms company could be both commercially successful and deeply civic-minded, proving that philanthropy, patriotism, and corporate citizenship can and should live under the same roof.

Imperato's leadership style has always stood apart in another important way: he never allowed his role as founding CEO to put distance between himself and the customer. For more than two decades at Henry Repeating Arms, he personally answered emails and took phone calls from the very people who bought the company's firearms. In an era when many executives become inaccessible the moment they reach the corner office, Imperato remained connected to the customer experience, a connection that became central to Henry's identity. That personal involvement helped set a standard for customer service not only within the firearms industry but across any industry.

He was equally willing to challenge convention in the way firearms were marketed. Imperato broke with industry norms by pushing Henry into non-traditional publications, networks, and even infomercials, refusing to accept that firearms advertising had to follow a narrow, predictable script to the same audience over and over. That instinct to think differently helped expand Henry's reach, broaden its audience, and give the company a voice unlike any other in the business, ultimately growing the number of customers for the industry as a whole.

At the center of it all has been a clear and consistent point of view. Imperato did not build Henry Repeating Arms by chasing trends or bowing to outside pressure. He led with clarity, independence, and long-term conviction. He reconnected firearms to American history and values without letting the company get trapped in nostalgia. He championed freedom, self-reliance, craftsmanship, and reliability while advancing the business. He proved that tradition and innovation are not opposing forces, but partners.

"The NRA Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award is an extraordinary honor, and I am deeply grateful to receive it," said Imperato. "I've spent my life in this industry because I believe in what it represents. I am proud of what we have built at Henry Repeating Arms, and even more proud of the people who helped build it with me. This recognition means a great deal to me because it reflects not only where I've been, but what Henry still stands for today."

The Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award recognizes individuals whose leadership and vision have left a lasting mark on the firearms industry. In honoring Anthony Imperato, the NRA recognized a man whose legacy reaches well beyond the company he founded. It is a legacy built on conviction over convenience, service over status, and an unshakable belief that American firearms manufacturing, done with integrity, still matters.

For more information about Henry Repeating Arms, visit HenryUSA.com.

ABOUT HENRY REPEATING ARMS

Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading firearm manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever-action category. The company's motto is "Made in America, Or Not Made At All." Every Henry firearm comes with a Lifetime Warranty and a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. Henry Repeating Arms employs over 800 people and has 400,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in Rice Lake and Ladysmith, Wisconsin. The company is also known for its Guns for Great Causes charitable program, which supports families of sick children, children's hospitals, military veteran organizations, law enforcement and first responder groups, Second Amendment advocacy groups, and wildlife conservation organizations. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry, who invented and patented the Henry lever-action rifle in 1860 – the first practical repeating rifle and America's unique contribution to the international stage of firearms design. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at henryusa.com, on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SOURCE Henry Repeating Arms