Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

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.

TRENDING NOW
Virginia: Spanberger Bill Threatens to Ban Most Centerfire Semi-autos, Devastate Right-to-Carry!

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Bill Threatens to Ban Most Centerfire Semi-autos, Devastate Right-to-Carry!

As bad as the Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly’s ban on commonly-owned semi-automatics is, phony moderate Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) is seeking to make it even worse.

Running Out of Targets: New York Bills Go After Air, Pellet and BB Guns

News  

Monday, April 20, 2026

Running Out of Targets: New York Bills Go After Air, Pellet and BB Guns

Anti-gun lawmakers in the Empire State are running out of things to ban.

U.S. House Removes Anti-Hunting Language from Farm Bill

News  

Monday, April 20, 2026

U.S. House Removes Anti-Hunting Language from Farm Bill

Last week, legislators on Capitol Hill delivered a significant victory for hunters and Second Amendment supporters by securing a critical fix to the House Farm Bill (Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026).  

Trump Administration Shuts Down “Reputation Risk” as a Cudgel Against Gun Industry

News  

Monday, April 20, 2026

Trump Administration Shuts Down “Reputation Risk” as a Cudgel Against Gun Industry

The decades long discriminatory tension between the financial sector and the firearm industry underwent a positive shift with a final rule published on April 10 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the ...

Virginia: Gov. Spanberger’s (D) Approval Tanks after Radical Anti-gun Legislative Session

News  

Monday, April 13, 2026

Virginia: Gov. Spanberger’s (D) Approval Tanks after Radical Anti-gun Legislative Session

It’s only two months into one-party Democrat rule in the Old Dominion, and Virginians don’t like what they’re seeing.

Swalwell’s Career Gets Nuked

News  

Monday, April 20, 2026

Swalwell’s Career Gets Nuked

One of the most rabidly anti-gun U.S. representatives, Eric Swalwell (D-Cal.), resigned from office last week under a disturbing cloud of accusations. These allegations included claims of sexual misconduct, and even sexual assault.

Maryland:  Legislature Adjourns Sine Die from 2026 Session

Friday, April 17, 2026

Maryland: Legislature Adjourns Sine Die from 2026 Session

This week, the Maryland General Assembly adjourned sine die for the 2026 session.

Kentucky: Legislature Overrides Governor Beshear's Vetoes on Pro-Gun Bills

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Kentucky: Legislature Overrides Governor Beshear's Vetoes on Pro-Gun Bills

Today, April 14th, the legislature convened for a veto override session, and successfully overrode Governor Andy Beshear's vetoes of House Bill 78 and House Bill 312.

Virginia: Spanberger Offers Fake Adjustments, Real Infringements on Virginia Gun Rights

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Virginia: Spanberger Offers Fake Adjustments, Real Infringements on Virginia Gun Rights

Fresh off the heels of receiving one of the most abysmal approval ratings for a modern Virginia Governor, Abigial Spanberger has doubled-down and signed several pieces of anti-Second Amendment legislation.

Australia’s National Gun Buyback Already an “Extinct Policy”

News  

Monday, April 13, 2026

Australia’s National Gun Buyback Already an “Extinct Policy”

The ineffectual virtue-signaling that so-called gun “buybacks” represent is finally being exposed on a global level, given the massive problems with the Canadian, and now the Australian, federal government gun bans and grabs.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

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.