Monday, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) announced its endorsement of Gov. Kay Ivey’s bid for reelection as Alabama’s chief executive.

In a statement announcing the endorsement, NRA-PVF chairman Jason Ouimet said Ivey was the “strongest candidate” in Alabama’s 2022 gubernatorial race.

“Kay Ivey has long demonstrated an unwavering support for our Second Amendment freedoms,” declared Ouimet in a release. “She is the strongest candidate in this race and has a proven record of defending our constitutional right to self-defense.”

He added, “We can count on Kay Ivey to protect the rights of Alabama’s law-abiding gun owners. We urge all NRA members, supporters, and outdoorsmen in Alabama to vote Kay Ivey for governor in the May 24 primary election.”

The governor last month signed constitutional carry into law, which made Alabama the 22nd state in the nation to allow law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm without first having to obtain a permit.

Ivey, who holds an “A” rating from the NRA, slammed the national left’s gun control advocacy and stated her intentions to defend Alabamians’ Second Amendment rights.

“Today, in states across the country, the right to keep and bear arms is under attack,” stated Ivey. “Blue state liberals, the mainstream media and Hollywood would love nothing more than to see an America without guns. Well, if they got their way, that country wouldn’t be ‘America’ at all.”

“Here in Alabama, we don’t rely on the permission of gun-control loving liberals to exercise our God-given constitutional rights,” she proclaimed. “We demand them, and no one will ever take them away. I know they won’t be taking my Smith and Wesson. In Alabama, ‘we dare defend our rights’ isn’t just a motto – it’s a way of life. I will always defend the right to keep and bear arms.”

The primary election will be held on May 24, 2022. If no candidate garners a plurality of the vote, a runoff election will take place on June 21, 2022.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL