BELLEVUE, WA – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is the recipient of the prestigious 2023 “Legislator of the Year” award from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
In just the past few months, Sen. Ernst has opposed the Biden administration’s attempt to reclassify semi-auto pistols fitted with braces as “short barreled rifles,” she has led the effort to disarm IRS agents, and – working with fellow Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley – has confronted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over alleged agency efforts to revoke federal firearms licenses from lawful dealers, while at the same time misinterpreting federal law by essentially contending that anyone selling a firearm needs to be licensed.
“We have watched Sen. Ernst in action, and she is truly a Capitol Hill leader when it comes to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, not just in Iowa but across the country,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “The environment for gun owners under the current administration has required politicians to stand up for honest gun owners, but Sen. Ernst has become a ‘stand out’ champion on Second Amendment issues.
“Gun owners in Iowa can be rightfully proud of the work she has been doing,” he continued, “and gun owners across the map can be thankful that Joni Ernst is solidly in their corner.”
Joni Ernst is an Iowa native, a military veteran with 23 years of service which included a tour as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq, leading Iowa Army National Guardsmen during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa National Guard.
She served in the Iowa State Senate, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2014, joining the legendary Sen. Grassley to represent Hawkeye State citizens. She is also the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, and the first woman to serve in federal elected office from Iowa.