NRA honors Shelby for ‘standing strong against the gun control agenda in Washington’

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January 12, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The National Rifle Association (NRA) over the weekend honored Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) during its annual board meeting for his “unwavering support of and commitment to the Second Amendment” throughout his over four-decade tenure in elected office.

“Throughout his career in the U.S. Congress, Senator Shelby has stood strong against the gun control agenda in Washington, and has continuously fought for the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms for hunting, recreational shooting, and self-defense,” said NRA Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director Chris Cox.

The NRA presented Shelby with a resolution at the meeting expressing its “sincere admiration and great appreciation” for his “advocacy and staunch support for individual gun ownership rights, the Second Amendment, and the NRA’s legislative agenda.”

The resolution, which can be read in full here, specifically mentions Shelby’s efforts to “protect sensitive firearms trace data from public disclosure,” his co-sponsorship of legislation to “end reckless lawsuits against America’s gun manufacturers,” and his vote to “prohibit gun confiscation from law-abiding Americans during states of emergency or major disaster,” among other examples of his pro-Second Amendment legislative record.

Shelby said he has made the defense of gun rights one of his top priorities since he was first elected to the Alabama state senate in 1970.

“I believe that it is imperative to protect Alabamians’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” he said. “I have a long-standing record of unwavering support for the Second Amendment, and I will continue to fight against any attempts to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

NRA board meetings are typically held in Washington, D.C., but they chose to gather in Birmingham this year because current NRA President Jim Porter is a Birmingham resident. Porter’s two-year term concludes in May.