The National Rifle Association made a shocking endorsement. The group endorsed Rep. Mary Peltola, who is on the record — many times over — favoring gun control.

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.”

Peltola wants gun control measures, such as universal background checks, waiting periods, and gun storage laws.

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.” 

And in an interview with PBS aired Sept. 1, 2022, she said she wanted to look more closely at President Biden’s “assault weapons ban.”

The reporter asked her, “And, Republicans are clearly going to be trying are trying to tie you to the National Democratic Party. I want to ask you about one issue. President Biden, in the last few days, has been talking about an assault weapons ban. Is this something you would support if it came up for a vote, which I understand it may come up and in the months to come?”

Peltola replied, “I’ll need to look more carefully at the details of that proposal. I think it is noteworthy that Bethel, Alaska, my hometown, had the first school shooting in our nation. I think that many of us, I’m a mom, I’m a grandmother, of course, I’m very concerned about this epidemic that we’re seeing. But I do want to make sure that Alaskans understand that I am a staunch advocate for our Second Amendment rights. I myself have 176 long guns in in my home. We are avid hunters. We are very, very tied to our subsistence resources and having access to wild game, and really, the most important factor in terms of being a successful hunter is having access to guns and ammunition.”

She pivoted in October of 2022 and said that gun rights were intended to be able to put food on the table, but that stricter laws are required.

It’s unclear why the National Rifle Association gave Peltola its endorsement this year. Was it looking for a Democrat who it could endorse? Or has the organization simply lost its mojo after multiple internal distractions? Alaskans who are Second Amendment defenders are asking these questions and more.

Here’s what one highly engaged member of the NRA in Alaska said: “NRA’s track record is bad … They botched the Hopkins-Tomaszewski endorsement last cycle in Fairbanks … Aoibheann Cline, the NRA regional person assigned to Alaska, didn’t listen to local people (like me) who have been doing those endorsements for over 20 years & she decided to ‘reward’ Grier for taking his name off bad Rep. Adam Wool gun legislation — against the advice of long time Alaska NRA advisors.”