National Rifle Association Endorses Bob McDonnell for Governor

Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Attorney General of Virginia, was endorsed today by the National Rifle Association. The NRA is recognized as America’s foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, and the group has over 120,000 members in Virginia. The association interviewed Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds prior to making the endorsement, in addition to reviewing questionnaires filled out by the two candidates, and thoroughly reviewing their voting records and policy positions.

Speaking about the endorsement, McDonnell remarked, “Over the course of my career in public service, I have worked to protect and uphold the Second Amendment rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. The Second Amendment rights of law abiding Virginians must be respected and protected. That is what I did while serving as Virginia’s Attorney General. We worked to stop unauthorized attempted straw purchases by outside agents operating in the Commonwealth. We moved quickly to make the Commonwealth one of the first states to file an amicus brief in support of the individual right to bear arms in the historic Supreme Court Case of District of Columbia v. Heller. As governor I will continue to defend the individual right to keep and bear arms, and stand on the side of Virginia’s law abiding gun owners. The National Rifle Association is committed to protecting our constitutional rights and I am honored to receive this endorsement.”

Chris Cox, NRA Institute for Legislative Action executive director, noted, ““Bob McDonnell is an effective leader for Virginia hunters and gun owners. His opinions and actions as an attorney general have protected and enhanced the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Virginians. His zero-tolerance attitude toward criminals makes him the best choice for governor. We ask every Virginia hunter, gun owner and Second Amendment advocate to vote McDonnell for Governor this November.”

This endorsement comes just weeks after McDonnell received the support of four organizations representing Virginia’s major job creators. McDonnell was endorsed by: Virginia Realtors ®, the largest trade association in Virginia with over 33,000 members; Virginia AgPAC, the political action committee of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation with over 147,000 members statewide; the Virginia Credit Union League, a trade association representing the Commonwealth’s 194 not-for-profit credit unions and the 3 million member-owners residing in Virginia; and, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the leading small business association in the Commonwealth whose membership consists of nearly 6,000 small businesses across the state.

The National Rifle Association is the premier firearms education association in the world. With nearly four million members nationwide and over 120,000 members in Virginia, the association is widely recognized as a major political force and America’s foremost defender of Second Amendment rights.