* A correction to this story has been made (see below)
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney voted Wednesday night against a gun control package that includes a ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to people under the age of 21 and ban of large-capacity magazines. Second Amendment group, Gun Owners of America (GOA), still endorsed her opponent Harriet Hageman on Thursday morning.
“Hageman earned GOA’s support because of a 100% score on our Second Amendment rights survey and her long history of standing against federal overreach through her work as a constitutional attorney,” Mark Jones, GOA National Director of Hunter’s Programs and a Wyoming resident, said in a press release.
In the press release, Hageman complained about Cheney’s alleged failure to represent Wyoming and her focus “on her personal war on President Donald Trump and working for Nancy Pelosi on the illegitimate January 6th Committee.”
But Jones told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday these actions did not factor into the group’s endorsement of Hageman.
“It did not factor into the equation,” he said.
A Cheney spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Although Cheney carried a 92% voting record with the National Rifle Association and 100% record with the National Shooting Sports Foundation in 2020, Cheney earned a 69% rating with GOA in 2021 and 2020. Hageman has no legislative votes to grade, but GOA reported she earned a 100% on the group’s Second Amendment survey.
Jones said his organization has never endorsed Cheney. He cited her vote on a military funding bill that the organization said contained allowances for red flag law gun confiscations, and in 2018, a vote for an omnibus bill the group said allowed for hundreds of people to be added to background check lists for past infractions as minor as speeding.
“A lot of its procedural stuff but we expect our party members to set an example and stand up for the Second Amendment,” Jones said.
On Thursday morning, Cheney also voted against a federal red flag bill. The bill passed through the House on a 224-202 vote.
In her statement expressing gratitude for the endorsement, Hageman did not comment on Cheney’s gun record.
“By doing Nancy Pelosi’s political dirty work on the January 6th Committee, Liz Cheney has entered a partnership with the very people who are trying to strip these rights away,” Hageman said.
“She has completely lost the respect and trust of Republicans in Congress, and the Democrats will discard her as soon as she’s no longer useful, so she can never be effective for Wyoming again. When I am the next congresswoman from Wyoming, I will fight against government intrusion and defend all the God-given rights we’re born with as free people under our Constitution.”
*A version of this story published on Cowboy State Daily on June 9 erroneously reported that Gun Owners of America endorsed Harriet Hageman because of U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s statements against former President Donald Trump.
In fact, Gun Owners of America said its endorsement was based entirely on Hageman’s score of 100% on the group’s Second Amendment rights survey.
The error was the result of a misreading of a news release, which also led to the writing of an inaccurate headline.
