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NRA Names Virginia Lawmaker Defender of Freedom

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

NRA Names Virginia Lawmaker Defender of Freedom

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association awarded Virginia Delegate Todd Gilbert the Defender of Freedom Award at the 146th National Rifle Association annual meeting in Atlanta on Friday, April 28. 

 “Todd Gilbert is a staunch defender of our Second Amendment freedoms,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “He has consistently stood up to the gun control lobby and aggressively fought to promote our fundamental right to self-protection.”

The Defender of Freedom Award  is awarded to individuals who have distinguished themselves in preserving and protecting our Second Amendment rights.

“On behalf of the NRA’s five million members, I thank Delegate Gilbert for his unwavering commitment to freedom,” concluded Cox.. 

Gilbert most recently promoted the right to self-defense by working tirelessly on an NRA-backed domestic violence package. If signed into law, this important legislative initiative would allow petitioners of protective orders to concealed carry without a permit and create a firearms training fund for domestic violence victims. Gilbert has battled Virginia's anti-gun administration for over two years in an effort to enact this important and potentially life-saving legislation. He has pledged to continue the fight.

Gilbert, the incoming Republican Majority Leader, has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2005 and is a Lifetime Endowment member of the NRA.  


Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. More than five million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at NRA on Facebook and Twitter @NRA.

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.