While DC has its rivals in a few state capitals, you will likely never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than the building pictured above. It’s where 535 elected officials purport to represent the interests of their constituents. At least that’s what they’ll say any time a camera is pointed their way.
As more people have come to realize, that’s actually rarely the case. Horse trading, log rolling, featherbedding and sometimes even outright corruption mean what’s important to you and me is rarely top of mind for the people we’ve sent there.
That’s why it’s important that people like those at the NSSF keep an eye on the House and Senate and give us an easily digestible report on how individual Congresscritters have voted on a subject as important and essential to American society as the right to keep and bear arms. Here’s the NSSF’s press release announcing their latest report card . . .
NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, released its 2022 Congressional Report Card, grading all 430 sitting U.S. Representatives (as of Aug. 8) and 100 U.S. Senators on key legislation that is of critical importance to the firearm industry, Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and America’s hunters and target shooters. Five U.S. House of Representatives were not graded due to special elections to fill vacancies and have no key legislative record to review.
“This scorecard is of vital importance to voters as we head into November elections. This tells voters exactly where their lawmakers stand on issues they care about like recreational shooting and hunting and the right to keep and bear arms,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This nonpartisan scorecard reflects the voting record of each legislator. These grades indicate their public voting record as well as their sponsoring and co-sponsoring key legislation, their work on committees, letters signed to support issues and leadership to support our industry.”
NSSF awarded 32 U.S. Senators and 116 U.S. Representatives the highest rating of “A+.” This includes U.S. Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). These senators are all running for re-election in 2022. All U.S. House of Representatives seats will be voted upon in November.
Grades are meant to analyze the level of support of each lawmaker during the 117th Congress and do not constitute an endorsement or opposition to a candidate’s election. The entire report, including the list of key legislation that comprised the scores, is available here.