In a rare move, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has endorsed a House Democrat for Congress.

The group threw its support behind Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK).

“Her endorsement is the organization’s first endorsement of a Democrat since 2020 when the NRA endorsed former Democratic Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson,” the Washington Examiner reports.

From the Washington Examiner:

Peltola represents Alaska’s sole House seat as its at-large representative and recently flipped the seat in 2022 after the GOP held the seat since 1973.

Prior to the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the NRA endorsed a handful of Democrats, but as Democrats and some centrist Republicans began calling for stricter gun control in the wake of the shooting, the NRA began retracting endorsements, according to the Trace.

There are no Senate Democrats or other House Democrats endorsed by the NRA.

Peltola claims to own 176 long guns on her website.

“As the owner of 176 long guns, I dare someone to tread on Alaskan freedoms,” she wrote.

The Hill reports:

In a statement to The Hill, she said she campaigned in 2022 on a “pro-freedom platform” and continues that to this day.

“Guns are an integral part of Alaska’s culture and our subsistence lifestyles,” Peltola said. “Alaskan gun [owners] are the strongest proponents for responsible gun ownership. We pass down our knowledge and skills to our children.”

Peltola argued that the endorsement may help the country understand Alaskan culture and see “the importance of the Second Amendment in communities.”

No other Democrats in either the House or the Senate have been endorsed by the NRA so far in its 2024 Political Victory Fund.

“In Congress, Representative Peltola has supported efforts to rein in overreach by the ATF, voted for legislation supporting the Second Amendment rights of veterans, and voted in favor of protecting traditional ammunition,” Randy Kozuch, the Chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund said in a statement to The Hill.

“Given her strong record of support for gun rights and law-abiding gun owners, NRA-PVF is proud to endorse Representative Peltola for re-election,” Kozuch added.

According to The Hill, Kozuch said they endorse candidates who “support and defend the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms” regardless of their party affiliation.

“Just two years ago, the NRA rated Peltola with a ‘D.’ Now, an endorsement? What has changed? Even the Gun Owners of America has rated Peltola with an ‘F,'” Must Read Alaska wrote.

Per Must Read Alaska:

According to The Washington Post in 2022, “During her campaign, Peltola said she wants a national law protecting abortion rights and favors some gun-control measures, such as universal background checks.” (Azi Paybarah, “Who Is Mary Peltola, The First Alaska Native In Congress?”)

On a questionnaire for the Anchorage Daily News, Peltola supported universal background checks and waiting periods for gun purchases.

“We can take common sense action, and we must. Provisions like secure storage laws, reasonable waiting periods and universal background checks can make all of us safer while still preserving the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.” (“Q&A with Alaska U.S. House candidates: Do you support gun control legislation?,” she told the ADN on Aug. 2, 2022.

In 2022, she told Time magazine, “Of course, I support background checks. I don’t think that that is an infringement on Second Amendment rights. I would like to see the particulars of an assault weapons ban, because they are used in some instances in hunting in Alaska. And they are tied to food security. But right out of the gate, no, I don’t support a complete ban on all assault rifles.” (Eric Cortellesa, “How Mary Peltola Plans To Beat Sarah Palin A Second Time,” Time, 9/14/22)

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News published Sept. 9, 2022, Peltola said, “I think that it’s reasonable to ask law abiding gun owners, which most of us are, to accept a reasonable waiting period. I think that increasing the age limit, to have access to certain guns and ammunition to 21, is an acceptable change. I think that certainly we have to do a lot more in terms of gun safety, you know, within the people who are part of the gun culture. And, I say, and it’s a weird word to use, but for those of us who grew up in households that rely on guns and ammunition for food security, there is a distance between understanding what we’re seeing nationwide in terms of the gun violence.”

 

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