Bob Barr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Barr
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Barr in 2016
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| President of the National Rifle Association of America | |
| Assumed office May 21, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Charles L. Cotton |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 7th district |
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| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Buddy Darden |
| Succeeded by | John Linder |
| United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia | |
| In office 1986–1990 |
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| Appointed by | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Larry Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Joe Whitley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Laurence Barr Jr.
November 5, 1948 Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1970–2004, 2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (2004–2006) Libertarian (2006–2011) |
| Spouses |
Gail Barr
(m. 1976; div. 1986)Jeri Dobbin
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) George Washington University (MA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948), known as Bob Barr, is an American lawyer and politician. He became the president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 2024. Before this, he worked as a federal prosecutor. He also served as a U.S. Representative for Georgia's 7th congressional district from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican.
Barr became well-known as one of the leaders in the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton. During his time in Congress, he wrote the Defense of Marriage Act. This law was later overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013 and then officially ended by Congress.
In 2006, Barr joined the Libertarian Party. He was their candidate for President of the United States in the 2008 election. In December 2011, he announced he was returning to the Republican Party. He ran for a Congressional seat again in 2014 but did not win.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Barr was born in Iowa City, Iowa. His father was a military officer who traveled a lot for his job. Because of this, Bob Jr. lived in many different countries as a child. These included Malaysia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Baghdad, and Tehran, Iran. He finished high school in Tehran in 1966.
He came back to the United States for college. He went to the University of Southern California (USC). There, he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He later became a leader for the fraternity from 2013 to 2015.
While at USC, Barr became interested in conservative ideas. He joined the Young Trojan Republican Club. He earned his bachelor's degree from USC in 1970.
Starting His Career
Barr continued his education, earning a master's degree in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1972. He then earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1977. From 1971 to 1978, Barr worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was an analyst focusing on Latin American issues.
After leaving the CIA, Barr moved to northern Georgia. He worked as a lawyer and became active in the Republican Party. He even served as a county leader. In 1984, he tried to get elected to the Georgia House of Representatives but was not successful.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan appointed Barr to be the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. He held this job until 1990. His office worked on cases against state and local officials. From 1990 to 1991, Barr was president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation. This group works to support "limited government" and "economic freedom."
Time in Congress
In 1992, Barr ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican but lost in the primary election.
In 1994, Barr was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. He defeated the Democrat Buddy Darden to represent Georgia's 7th congressional district. Barr was one of 73 new Republican members elected that year. This election was called the "Republican Revolution" because it gave Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
Barr was re-elected three times, serving from 1995 to 2003. In Congress, he was a senior member of the Judiciary Committee. He also served as vice-chairman of the Government Reform Committee.
Before the 2002 elections, Georgia's congressional districts were changed. Barr's district was made more Democratic. A large part of his voter base was moved into the same district as fellow Republican John Linder. This led to Barr losing the primary election to Linder by a large margin.
Political Beliefs in Congress
During his time in Congress, Barr was seen as one of the most conservative members. However, he also spoke out against some of the Bush administration's policies on privacy and civil liberties after the 9/11 attacks. This made him stand out among other Republicans.
Gun Rights
Barr strongly supports gun rights. He is against any efforts to limit gun ownership.
Marriage Laws
Barr played a key role in debates about same-sex marriage. He wrote the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law passed in 1996. This law said that only marriages between a man and a woman could be recognized by the federal government. It also allowed individual states to choose not to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
Later, at the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, he apologized for the part of DOMA that stopped the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. He now supports same-sex marriage. He also opposed a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would have banned same-sex marriage.
Terrorism Laws
He voted for the first USA PATRIOT Act. However, he made sure that "sunset clauses" were added. These clauses meant the law would expire unless Congress renewed it. He has since said he regrets his vote for the Patriot Act.
War in Iraq
In 2002, Barr voted for the Iraq Resolution. Since then, he has called for U.S. troops to leave Iraq.
Religious Freedom
In Congress, he suggested that the Pentagon should ban the practice of Wicca in the military.
Economic Ideas
Barr believes the 16th Amendment, which allows the U.S. government to collect income tax, should be removed. Instead, he suggests a consumption tax, like the FairTax. He also wants to greatly reduce government spending.
Waco Hearings
Barr was one of the few people who asked effective questions during the 1995 House hearings about the Waco siege. These hearings looked into the actions of government agencies during the 1993 event. Barr believed the hearings were not thorough enough and called for new investigations.
Role in Clinton Impeachment
Barr is most famous for his role in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. He was one of the House managers who presented the case against Clinton.
In 1997, Barr was the first to propose that the House Judiciary Committee start an impeachment inquiry against Clinton. This was before the Monica Lewinsky story became public. Barr argued that Clinton had been "systematically operating outside the bounds" of the law. He accused Clinton of "systematic abuse of office."
After the Lewinsky story came out, Barr was the first lawmaker to call for Clinton to resign. He often appeared on television to discuss the impeachment.
Political Groups and Activities
Barr was on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America from 2001 to 2007. He became the president of the group in May 2024.
He is also a commentator on political issues. He chairs the '21st Century Center for Privacy and Freedom' for the American Conservative Union Foundation.
In 2006, Barr became a regional representative for the Libertarian National Committee. He said he was a "proud, card-carrying Libertarian."
American Freedom Agenda
Barr is one of the four people who started the American Freedom Agenda. This group works to bring back "checks and balances and civil liberties protections" that they believe are under attack.
Liberty Guard
Barr is the chairman of the board of directors for Liberty Guard. This organization aims to protect individual liberty.
National Popular Vote
Barr supports the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This plan would change how presidents are elected.
Other Activities
In 2008, Barr became a professor at Kennesaw State University. He taught a course on privacy rights.
Barr appeared in the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. In his scene, he met with the character "Borat Sagdiyev" in the United States Capitol.
Barr also advises the Law Enforcement Education Organization. This group helps law enforcement officers.
Advising Jean-Claude Duvalier
In 2011, Barr traveled to Haiti to advise Jean-Claude Duvalier, a former leader of Haiti. Barr said he was there to help Duvalier communicate with the international community.
2008 Presidential Campaign
In early 2008, there were rumors that Barr might run for president as a Libertarian. He later confirmed his interest. He officially announced his candidacy for the Libertarian nomination on May 12, just before their convention.
On May 25, 2008, Barr became the 2008 Libertarian presidential nominee. He won after six rounds of voting at the Libertarian convention. He beat Mary Ruwart in the final round. Reason magazine called Barr "the first serious candidate the LP has run."
Barr invited the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, to weekly debates. Many people thought Barr might take votes away from McCain. However, Barr said that small-government Republicans would not vote for McCain anyway.
Barr was on the ballot in 45 states. He even filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma because he felt their ballot access laws were too strict. Polls showed that many voters wanted Barr to be included in the presidential debates.
On November 4, 2008, Barr received 523,686 votes, which was 0.4% of the national vote.
Return to the Republican Party
After the 2008 election, Barr announced his return to the Republican Party. He said he supported Republican candidates for Congress in 2012.
2014 Congressional Campaign
On March 28, 2013, Barr announced he would run for his old congressional seat, the 11th. The seat was open because the previous representative, Phil Gingrey, was running for Senate. Barr hoped to be the first Republican from Georgia to return to the U.S. House after a break in service.
Barr came in second in his primary election with 26% of the vote. Since no candidate won more than 50%, a runoff election was held on July 22, 2014. Barr lost the runoff election to Barry Loudermilk.
NRA Career
On May 20, 2024, Bob Barr was elected by the National Rifle Association Board of Directors as NRA President.
See also
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Bob Barr para niños
